The EU\u2019s food safety watchdog has found virtually no way to improve the current farm system for minks, foxes, raccoons and chinchillas, clearing the path for the Commission to propose EU-wide restrictions.<\/p>\n
In a report out Wednesday, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) says that the current cage system makes it very hard to satisfy the animals\u2019 physical and behavioural needs. \u201cNeither prevention nor substantial mitigation of the identified [welfare conditions] is possible in the current system,\u201d it reads.<\/p>\n
\nFarmed species include the American mink, red and Arctic foxes, raccoon dogs and chinchillas.\n<\/p>\n
\nBack in 2023, 1.5 million citizens called on Brussels to ban fur farming under the initiative \u201cFur Free Europe\u201d. The European Commission then tasked EFSA with assessing the welfare conditions at fur farms, which prompted this week’s report<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \nThe practice of fur farming is already declining across Europe and has been banned in over half of EU countries. However, the industry is still operating in countries including Finland and Poland.\n<\/p>\n \nThe Commission will follow up on EFSA\u2019s report by March 2026, but it has already taken a key step towards making fur farming illegal.\n<\/p>\n \nJust last week, the Commission listed<\/a> the American mink \u2013 introduced to Europe for fur production \u2013 as an invasive species, meaning that national governments will have to prohibit their breeding and sale.\n<\/p>\n \nMark Oaten, CEO of the International Fur Federation, told Euractiv that the organisation disagreed with some of the issues raised by EFSA in its report, adding that “more research is needed on some of the welfare measures.”\n<\/p>\n \n“Animal welfare is a priority for the whole fur community, and I am confident we already have the very highest standards,” he said.\n<\/p>\n Potential loopholes \nReineke Hameleers, the CEO of Eurogroup for Animals, said that confining “inherently wild animals in cages for a luxury product” is a violation of animal welfare in itself. “In light of this new EFSA assessment (…) we urge the European Commission to ban fur farming across the EU, in line with the demands of EU citizens.”\n<\/p>\n \nNGOs argue that a blanket ban is needed to prevent member states from exploiting loopholes in EU rules on invasive species.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cWhen the raccoon dog was added to the [invasive species] list in 2019, Finland and Poland exploited the derogation and were granted authorisation for 30 years,\u201d said<\/a> the NGO Humane World for Animals.\n<\/p>\n \nBeyond welfare concerns, activists have also called for a shutdown of the EU fur industry on public health grounds.\n<\/p>\n
\nBut animal welfare advocates weren’t surprised by EFSA’s findings.<\/p>\n