California set to become first US state to ban fur

Animal Defenders International (ADI) applauds California for passing AB44, the country’s first statewide bill to ban the sale and manufacture of fur. Sponsored by Assemblymember Laura Friedman, and having previously passed both the Assembly and Senate, the bill is now expected to go to Governor Newsom’s desk.

“Thanks to the painstaking work of animal welfare advocates and the conviction of my colleagues in the legislature, California has continued our legacy as a world leader on animal welfare issues,” said Assemblymember Laura Friedman. “I hope that Governor Newsom will agree that there is no place for fur in a humane and sustainable future and sign AB44 into law.”

Four California localities - San Francisco, Berkeley, West Hollywood, and Los Angeles - already had similar bans in place, but AB44 represents the country’s first statewide fur ban. The law comes into effect on January 1, 2023.

This is the second fur legislation recently passed in the state: On September 4, Governor Newsom signed into law AB273, sponsored by Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez, which bans fur trapping and the sale of raw fur throughout the state.

ADI President Jan Creamer said: “We are delighted that California has once again taken the lead on an important issue. As so many fashion brands have recently shown, there is simply no excuse for perpetuating the horrific fur industry. We hope that other states follow suit by outlawing these appalling practices, which cause the deaths of hundreds of millions of animals each year.”

Worldwide every year more than 110 million animals are killed on fur farms, with over 16 million trapped in the wild for their fur. ADI investigations of fur farms in Poland and Finland – and previously the UK, which has banned fur farming but remains a major dealer importing and exporting fur – reveal a cruel industry built on an image of beauty and luxury. As consumers shift away from buying fur, a growing number of designers are also saying no to fur, including global brands such as Michael Kors, Versace, Gucci, Prada, and Burberry.

In Poland, ADI documented foxes with bent feet and overgrown claws, the result of a lifetime stood on a floor of wire mesh; individuals who suffered tail loss, caused by chewing due to stress; an animal with a weeping eye, swollen with pus, that was left untreated; young foxes attempting to play but restricted by the confines of their cage; animals chewing and pawing at their cages in a desire to escape and to express natural digging behaviors.

The ADI footage demolishes fur industry claims that killing on fur farms is quick, efficient, and humane. One of a number of botched killings, ADI documented a fox who was electrocuted and tossed seemingly lifeless onto a cart. The fox begins to stir and then slips off the cart but is recaptured and subsequently killed by the farmer. Electrocution is the fur industry standard for killing foxes, the website of a coalition from the fur industry of America and Canada, entitled “The Truth About Fur,” boldly claiming “100% of the animals are dead within 10 seconds.”