PETA Supporters Call For Fur Ban at Milan Fashion Week
In light of reports that minks have tested positive for COVID-19 on fur farms across Europe – and workers are believed to have contracted the virus from the animals – PETA supporters took to the streets of Milan ahead of the city’s fashion week wearing stylish, high-end versions of hazmat suits.
The protesters are calling on the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana to ban fur at the event.
The action follows a letter from PETA to Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and the ministers responsible for health, agriculture, and the environment calling for a ban on fur farming.
Fur Production Is Cruel
Minks, foxes, and others exploited on fur farms are forced to live in cramped, filthy conditions before being tormented and slaughtered for their skin.
© Jo-Anne McArthur/We Animals
Living in packed cages – far from their native homes and with no opportunity to play, jump, run, or do anything else that comes naturally to them – often drives these inquisitive, intelligent animals insane during their short lives. Fighting, self-mutilation, and cannibalism are common on fur farms.
Environmental Hazard
The fur industry doesn’t just put animals through a living hell before tearing off their skin – it’s also detrimental to the planet. A study of mink farms in Europe determined the impact of fur production with regard to 18 different environmental issues – such as the climate crisis, ozone pollution, and water and land use. For 17 of the 18 issues, fur was found to be far more harmful than any other material.
Producing 1 kilogram of fur has a carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) factor of about 130 to 140 kilograms, compared to around 6 to 7 kilograms of CO2e for 1 kilogram of faux fur.
Breeding Grounds for Disease
Filthy fur farms packed with sick, stressed, and injured minks are a breeding ground for disease, and facilities in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Spain have seen outbreaks of COVID-19. The situation became so dire that the Dutch Parliament voted this year to close the country’s last remaining fur farms.
Fur farm
PETA Asia
Wet market
SARS and the novel coronavirus first infected humans who came into close contact with captive wildlife at live-animal markets – which represent a similar public health risk to that posed by fur farms.
What You Can Do
PETA is appealing to Italy’s prime minister to close the 13 remaining mink farms in the country. Will you join us and send him a message, too?
Urge Italy to Ban Fur Farms
Jo-Anne McArthur / #MakeFurHistory
