Huge News! Italy Bans Fur Farming

Update January 2022:
Italy has officially banned fur farming! The vote has been ratified by Parliament and came into effect on 1 January 2022. All remaining fur farms have until 30 June 2022 to shut down – for good.

To each of you who has helped us keep this issue in the spotlight by contacting Italian government representatives, thank you!

Original post:
PETA supporters, who sent of letters to the Italian government, can pop the Prosecco and celebrate the news that the era of fur farming is about to end in Italy!

The Italian Senate voted to approve an amendment that will see all of the country’s mink farms closed within the next six months. The vote is expected to be ratified by the Parliament before the end of the year. It will mean that Italy – home to the capital of fashion – joins the long and ever-growing list of countries that have passed legislation banning this cruel industry.

Big News for Minks

This news couldn’t come soon enough for minks on fur farms, who are jammed into squalid cages and denied the opportunity to roam, swim, or do anything else that comes naturally to them. Investigations into the Italian fur industry found minks living in cramped wire cages – some resorting to cannibalism and self-mutilation as a result of the extreme stress of confinement. The animals were killed by being gassed to death – a horrible fate for semi-aquatic animals such as minks, who can hold their breath under water for long periods of time.

When We Speak Out, They Listen!

PETA and other animal protection groups have long campaigned against this cruel industry.

Thank you to the more than 50,000 supporters of PETA entities who sent letters to Italy’s prime minister, urging him to take action.

We’ve published opinion pieces in prominent publications, plastered Rome and Milan with billboards, and staged eye-catching demonstrations to spread the anti-fur message far and wide.

David Camilli

We also enlisted the help of some of the country’s most beloved and well-known stars – including model Elisabetta Canalis and presenter Rosita Celentano – who spoke out against the cruelty of fur farming to their legions of followers.

Earlier this year, shared across social media. It saw Claudia Zanella, Red Canzian, and Jo Squillo, among others, depict the reality of life for minks on fur farms. And finally, just this week, PETA rushed a letter signed by 15 Italian celebs to the Italian government calling for the permanent closure of fur farms. Our voices have been heard!

Fur has already been shunned by some of the biggest names in Italian fashion – Gucci, Prada, Versace, Armani, Furla, Valentino, Elisabetta Franchi, and Brunello Cucinelli are all proudly fur-free. It’s clearer than ever that fur is dead.