Urgent action is needed to ensure we do not miss the opportunity to end one of the cruelest industries still operating in Europe

Right now, the European Commission is preparing its response to Fur Free Europe. Despite all the evidence clearly pointing to the need for a ban, other options like stricter standards (still relying on cage-based systems) could be adopted instead. 

This is not what citizens asked for.  

This is not what science recommends.  

And this is not a coherent animal welfare policy for the EU.  

The Commission’s final decision will be taken soon, but there is still time to influence it.  

Use the form to send a message to all the EU Commissioners, asking them to respect the voices of citizens and the scientific evidence.

• Message preview

  Dear College of Commissioners,

  I am writing to express my concern about the ongoing examination of the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) Fur Free Europe. Every year, millions of animals on fur farms across the EU are kept and killed in conditions that raise profound welfare concerns. Through this ECI, over 1.5 million Europeans have asked the Commission to address this issue with the attention and seriousness it deserves.

  As the Commission finalises its reply to the ECI Fur Free Europe, I kindly urge you to ensure that it:

  • Fully reflects the scale and clarity of citizens' calls for an EU-wide ban on fur farming and on the placing on the market of farmed fur products;
  • Takes into account EFSA's scientific conclusions on the welfare needs of fur animals;
  • Aligns with the EU's broader objectives on improving animal welfare and phasing out cages in other areas of farming;
  • Provides a clear, future-oriented vision for a responsible and fair transition.

  The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has confirmed what scientists have been emphasising for years: fur farming is fundamentally incompatible with animal welfare. EFSA highlights the severe problems experienced by mink, foxes, raccoon dogs and chinchillas, including restricted movement, stress, injuries, tissue lesions and lameness, and makes clear that the behavioural and physiological needs of these species simply cannot be met within the fur farming industry. Public attitudes across Europe strongly support this scientific consensus and reflect a growing expectation for more coherent and ambitious animal welfare policies.

  Fur farming also affects several broader EU policy areas. It raises public health and biosecurity concerns due to the documented susceptibility of mink to zoonotic diseases; it presents environmental challenges linked to waste, emissions and resource use; and it creates internal market inconsistencies, as 24 Member States have already fully or partly banned fur farming or imposed conditions that effectively end the practice. The sector also has low socioeconomic relevance and is in clear structural decline: with a negative €9.2 million in gross value added (GVA), it reduces rather than contributes to the EU economy.

  There are also questions of regulatory coherence. Both American mink and raccoon dogs are listed as Invasive Alien Species of Union Concern (IAS), yet farming of these species continues in some Member States through derogations that undermine the objectives of the IAS Regulation. Addressing fur farming in a science-based and future-oriented way would therefore support broader EU goals across health, environment, biodiversity protection, the internal market and animal welfare, making a phase-out the most proportionate course of action.

  An EU-wide ban is not only the most ethical path forward, but also the most consistent and workable policy solution. It would provide farmers with clarity and predictability, offer policymakers legal certainty, and deliver the only outcome that genuinely reflects the expectations of citizens and the welfare needs of animals.

  You can find more information on why a Fur Free Europe is needed here: https://www.eurogroupforanimals.org/what-we-do/areas-of-concern/fur-farming

  A response grounded in science, ethics and democratic legitimacy would send a strong and positive signal to millions of Europeans who care deeply about the welfare of animals and the credibility of EU decision-making.

  Yours sincerely,