Israel is the first to ban fur sales

From December, Israel will be the first country in the world to ban the sale of fur, having already banned fur production in 1976, as other countries have also done. Although there are exceptions for scientific research as well as for educational and religious purposes, the ban – signed by former Minister of Environmental Protection Gila Gamliel – will ban the sale, import and the export of any item containing real fur, including jackets. And accessories.

“Israel has just made history and put another nail in the coffin of the cruel fur industry,” said PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA puts the stopper on the champagne to celebrate this big step towards a day when no animals are suffocated or skinned alive for necklaces and cuffs. ”

Moira Colley, head of press communications for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in New York City, suggested the UK may soon follow Israel’s lead.

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In Israel, the religious fur items that will be exempt are shtreimel hats, said Jane Halevy Moreno, founder of the International Anti-Fur Coalition. “There are some wonderful faux fur shtreimels and we hope that soon ultra-Orthodox men in Israel and around the world will all switch to faux fur shtreimels. We hope that this change will be led by religious leaders within Jewish communities. “

Israel is the first country to ban the sale of furs, said Halevy Moreno, because “we were the first to establish and introduce such a revolutionary bill,” referring to the efforts of the IAFC. That was 12 years ago and since then the IAFC “has never stopped believing and fighting for this achievement to finally take place.”

The IAFC has received a lot of Israeli support in its efforts. PETA reported that the ban on the sale of furs received the support of 86% of Israelis. “The Israeli public, fashion designers, politicians from all walks of life in the Knesset have strongly supported this revolutionary bill,” said Halevy Moreno. “The reason it took so long to ban the sale of fur was because of the powerful pro-fur lobby that had consistently sabotaged our efforts for years. We applaud the Israeli government for finally taking the historic step towards the history of fur for fashion. All animals are suffering horribly at the hands of this cruel and backward industry. The IAFC has claimed for years that “nothing is stronger than an idea whose time has come”.

Over the years, PETA has conducted a number of video surveys of the global fur industry. These investigations revealed that animals on fur farms spend their lives confined in cramped and dirty wire cages, according to PETA. “Fur breeders use the cheapest methods of slaughter available, including neck breaking, choking, poisoning and genital electrocution. The animals are still alive and struggle when workers hang them by the legs or tails to skin them.

PETA’s motto says, in part, that “the animals are not ours. PETA also noted that California banned the sale of new fur statewide in 2019, as did many major designers and retailers, including Macy’s, Nordstrom, Burberry, Gucci, Versace, Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo and Giorgio. Armani.

Halevy Moreno said that the fact that an entire country has banned the sale of fur “sends a strong message around the world about the cruelty of fur. This sends the message that the status of fur in 2021 is one of ignorance, selfishness, arrogance, lack of heart. If such a bill had not made so much sense around the world, it would not have taken us 12 whole years to finally achieve this victory. “

She also added that she was “proud” and “grateful” that Israel “chose moral justice, ethics and compassion over profit, political interests and greed.” We believe this choice will influence other sites around the world.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Israel also has what is thought to be the highest percentage of vegans in the world, with around 5-8% of the entire population being vegan. In fact, according to the Jerusalem Post, Israel was third on international food magazine Chef’s Pencil’s list of the best countries for vegans in 2020, behind Australia and the United Kingdom.