Retain bans on cat, dog, seal fur imports, and extend to ban all fur imports

The Government must commit to keep vital bans on imports of cat, dog and seal furs, and extend legislation to ban the import and sale of fur from all species. The UK banned fur farming because it is so cruel, we must stop importing that same cruelty.

In 2003 fur farming was banned in the UK. Through EU laws, trade in cat, dog and seal fur has also been banned. Powers in the Retained EU Law Bill mean Government could repeal existing fur trade bans, when it should be extending them to all animals. It is estimated that the UK imports fur from millions of animals annually, but a 2022 poll shows 77% of Brits believe Government should ban fur imports.

The Government shares the public's high regard for animal welfare.  Our commitment to improve animal welfare standards is set out in the Action Plan for Animal Welfare.   

Farming animals for their fur been banned in England and Wales since 2000, and since 2002 in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

There are restrictions on some skin and fur products which cannot be legally imported into the UK. These include fur and fur products from cats and dogs, and a ban on commercially importing and marketing all seal products and any related products with limited exemptions. We have also established controls on fur from endangered species protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and we do not allow imports of fur from certain wild animals caught using methods which are non-compliant with international humane trapping standards.

The Government is in the process of analysing all retained EU law. This analysis will enable us to determine what should be preserved as part of domestic law and what should be repealed or amended. Current Government policy is to retain existing fur measures. While Defra published a formal call for evidence on the fur trade in Great Britain in 2021, we have no plans currently to make further changes.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs