Pamela Anderson Writes to Flemish Minister to Push for Ban on Fur Farming
Pamela Anderson has sent a letter on behalf of PETA and Belgian animal-protection group GAIA to Ben Weyts, Flemish Minister for Mobility, Public Works, the Vlaamse Rand, Tourism and Animal Welfare, who pledged to bring forward legislation banning fur farming in Flanders by the end of the year. As she points out in her letter, we’re nearing the end of 2017 and no such law has so far been proposed:
As a passionate animal-protection advocate, I was delighted to learn from my friends at PETA and GAIA that you’ve pledged to ban fur farming in the Flemish Region. I’m concerned, however, as it’s now December, and—despite having previously announced that you’d bring forward legislation by the end of the year—still, no law prohibiting this cruel industry has been proposed.
Every day that such legislation is delayed is a day of misery for the more than 200,000 minks on fur farms in Flanders. These wild animals are kept in cramped wire cages that deny them any opportunity to carry out their natural behavior, such as running and swimming. This confinement causes them such intense psychological distress that many go insane and begin to mutilate themselves. After a lifetime of suffering, confinement, and frustration, they’re killed for a frivolous fashion accessory that no one needs—and increasingly, no one wants.
Please, honor your commitment to ban fur factory farming in Flanders and propose this important piece of legislation without delay. In doing so, you’d be joining Austria, Croatia, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and closer to home, the Brussels-Capital and Walloon regions of Belgium, which have already banned fur farms, recognizing that this barbaric cruelty is unacceptable in a civilized, progressive country.
Eighty-five per cent of Flemish people are in favour of a ban on fur farming, and Flanders is now the only region in Belgium where fur farming is still allowed. The minks still suffering on fur farms there deserve our consideration and protection.
Call for a #FurFreeBritain
Jo-Anne McArthur/ We Animals
