Activists submit petition to ban ‘cruel’ fur imports

The Swiss Animal Party has handed in a petition to the government calling for a ban on import of fur obtained by inhumane methods. Animal rights groups claim that Switzerland’s tough animal welfare laws are being circumvented by fur imports.  The petition, which gathered almost 30,000 signatures, was handed in on Tuesday and was addressed to the cabinet as well as both houses of parliament. It states that certain commercial fur imports violate Switzerland’s Animal Protection Act as they come from overcrowded farms with up to 100,000 animals or involve poaching or the use of inhumane methods like clubbing, leghold traps and snares. As these practices are outlawed in Switzerland, animal welfare organisations want Swiss laws to be applied equally to all animals including imports of fur products from abroad. In 2014, Switzerland imported 431,000 kilos of fur in the form of whole skins as well as finished clothing and accessories – mostly from China, where horrifying ...