Anger over government reversal on promised ban on fur imports

Sign up for View email from Westminster for expert analytics straight to your inboxReceive our free email View from WestminsterPlease enter a valid email addressPlease enter a valid email addressI would like to receive emails about offers, events and updates day of The Independent. Read our privacy notice{{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}An error has occurred. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The government appears to have backed down from a promise to ban fur imports after months of dithering, sparking outrage from animal lovers and experts.

In response to a petition this week calling for a ban on imports from often torturous fur farms overseas, the government said it had no plans to change the law.

Humane Society International/UK, which has lobbied for years to end fur sales, has accused ministers of betraying animals and the British animal-loving public.

Danish mink

(Getty Images)

Fur farms have been illegal in the UK since 2003 , but the country still imports large quantities of fur each year, from centers where conditions have repeatedly been shown to inflict extreme suffering.

Over £670million worth of pelts animals have been imported into the UK in 20 years, according to official figures.

While Boris Johnson was at No 10, a ban was promised in the Animals Bill to abroad, which the government later abandoned after cabinet members Jacob Rees-Mogg, Brandon Lewis and Ben Wallace allegedly vetoed it.

In 2021, the government issued a formal call for accounts of the fur trade in Britain, but did not publish the 30,000 responses.

Various reports have suggested the ban was lifted, particularly under Liz Truss, but the Last month, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) issued a denial that the government had made an about-face, blaming limited parliamentary time for the lack of progress.

It is already illegal to import cat, dog and seal fur. Now, on a petition from the government, a formal has been issued, saying: “The present policy of the government is to retain the existing fur measures. While Defra has published an official call for evidence on the UK fur trade in 2021, we currently have no plans to make any further changes."

Claire Bass , of...