Uk Parliamentary debate on banning fur sales in UK.

[Ravens8]

A petition was put forward last October to "Ban the sale of animal fur in the UK". Petitions run for 6 months and during that time they have to receive 100,000 signatures at which point the Government HAS to debate the issue.

 

The petition closed in March with 109554 signatures, and the government debated it in June last week (2018).

 

It was a long debate and the transcript can be read here if anyone is interested. https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2018-06-04/debates/8F9B6212-E631-4151-ABA7-AED8560CBBEB/FurTrade

 

The closing paragraph is the most relevant where Danial Zeichner, a labour MP summarised

 

"We have heard from every single political party in the House—from Conservative and Labour Members, Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National party—and there is almost unanimity. One of the great Presidents of America, Lyndon Baines Johnson, famously said that politics was about counting the votes. I have been counting the votes and—I am looking at the Government Benches—some Members have self-declared already, tonight. This House has the votes. What it needs is a Government willing to introduce a ban. That is what the public expect.

 

I hope the Minister will go back to the Secretary of State with the very strong message from this House that it is time we banned the fur trade."

 

There is still a long way to go and there would have to be many further debates and votes before any government could introduce this as law. Nevertheless it is a worrying indication of the dictatorial path, infringing on the rights of the public, that our democracy is undertaking.

 

If our current Government does not take action on this, Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the opposition Labour party has pledged to see it through to law should they win the next election.

 

Just a couple of points......ALL other petitions regarding banning or controlling fur in the UK have failed miserably, most of them just getting a few thousand votes at the most, but the majority less than a thousand. It seem highly suspicious that this particular petition should suddenly leap to just over the 100,000 votes needed to force a debate.

 

Secondly, there does not seem to be much interest in wearing fur in the UK, and a huge number (possibly the majority ) of people , including the MP's base their knowledge of fur on what they have heard from the animal rights groups.

 

Whether they like fur or not, if you ask most people in the UK about fur many believe that fur farming is cruel, that mink are still wild creatures forced to live in tiny cages, and a lot of people believe that animals are regularly skinned alive.

 

It may all be false information, but it has swayed the views of the people and more worryingly the politicians to the point where banning fur could soon become a reality in the UK. The debate brings home how many politicians now believe that there is no place for fur and fur farming.

 

Finally,you can click on a link in the petition https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/200888.json, and get information about the signatories for the petition, but it is in json format ? This means nothing to me as I am not that computer literate, but maybe someone here could explain it.

 

Does the fact that so many countries around the world are mentioned in the data mean that signatures came in from all over the world? If so, Has someone created some kind of web bot that has gone out manufacturing signatures? Me?.......suspicious? no, of course not!!

[fursince63]

Very disturbing.

[Ravens8]

Indeed fursince63 Very worrying indeed, because there is an extremely good chance that this could become law within the next five years, especially if Labour win the election. The Labour party is rife with strong animal rights sentiments, and it is a vote winner. Who would have thought that dogs chasing foxes a few times a year could be one of the major vote winners in deciding who will run the country?

 

I was hoping this comment might generate further debate and comment here, but heyho!

 

If the UK bans fur, this gives Animal Rights a nuclear arsenal in taking their agenda to the rest of the world. There are many European countries that would also eventually give in and I suspect many states in the USA. Many leaders don't really have an issue one way or the other with fur, but most have no goolies so it is an easy, painless way to win popular favour and votes.

 

The Fur Trade organisations really are to blame in this, they have allowed anti fur farming sentiment to seep relentlessly into the general population, and have done nothing, NOTHING, to counter anti fur propaganda in the popular media. The result? Fur will be banned in the UK, and then Europe, and then the USA. Animal rights smell blood, and are now going to double their efforts..

[fursince63]

I agree Many anti- fur people will feel empowered by this attack on the fur trade. If this gains momentum it could be a snowball effect. Passionate radicals get more recognition as we kid ourselves this won't happen here. The majority of people are not informed or they are indifferent to the subject. I remember when the anti fur movement first started tugging at heartstrings with gory adds and overinflated claims. Well, they have come along way because in my opinion they were never viewed as a serious threat to the industry. What really sends me is these anti fur organizations getting all the donations for saving some fox from becoming a coat when this money can be used to help people who are sick or the starving children in the world !

Edited September 10, 2018 by Guest

[Coyote]

I also see the human impact.

They are so Hell bent on saving non-endangered animals, that they don't realise, or care, that they are destroying the livelihood of people whose families have probably been in the business for generations.

 

There is no consideration for the socio-economic aspect of a trade that is as old as the human race itself.

 

They are literally placing animals lives before those of other people.

[Ravens8]

Further news , I've just found today https://www.directactioneverywhere.com/theliberationist/2018/3/23/news-of-the-week-fur-sales-banned-in-san-francisco-trophy-hunting-lawsuit-mar-16-mar-23-2018

 

West Hollywood, Berkeley, and now San Francisco....soon to be the whole of the UK.

 

I predict 5 - 10 years the sale of fur and probably the import of fur will be banned throughout USA, Uk and Europe.

 

And the fur industry are just rolling over like puppies and accepting it without a whimper.......curious.

[elbas3175]

What exactly would the UK ban cover? Manufacture and sale in the UK, including secondhand? How about manufacturing here and sending abroad, or purchasing overseas and importing? What if you are on holiday overseas and buy something - would you not be allowed to bring it back into the UK?

[Ravens8]

Well. the original petition simply asked for a ban on the sale of fur in the UK, so presumably that means that you would still be able to buy fur abroad and bring it in, or have it shipped in.

 

However, after the lengthy debate in parliament, when many speakers just lumped the whole global fur trade as unethical and wrong, MP Daniel Zeichner wrapped up the whole debate with his final sentence

 

"I hope the Minister will go back to the Secretary of State with the very strong message from this House that it is time we banned the fur trade."

 

The British Government can't obviously ban the global fur trade, but they could ban any association with the fur trade within the uk.

 

I assume this would mean the fur trade would come under the same kind of restrictions or even tighter as the uk ban on Ivory, which bans ANY import and sale of ivory, although at present I believe you can still own and sell antique ivory, but there are moves to ban this too.

 

Judging by the passions the fur debate issue seems to raise, it could well go further and and if brought into legislation would likely ban the import and sale of ALL fur.

 

I am not sure they could infringe civil liberties to the point where they could ban the wearing of fur, but it would be a very brave person to be seen out in public wearing fur should this legislation be passed. As it is, there is hardly any fur on the street now anyway in the uk,

 

I go up to London several times in the winter for various reasons. This is the first year EVER that I didn't see a single fur coat on the streets, even on extremely cold days in winter, apart from maybe less than half a dozen ladies who were obviously foreign visitors..........very sad.

[elbas3175]

Any idea of a timeline? I appreciate it could be a case of how long is a piece of string!