Israel’s environmental protection minister, Gila Gamliel, has signed an amendment effectively banning the sale of fur in the fashion industry, which will come into effect in the next six months. With this bill in effect, Israel will become the first entire country in the world to ban fashion fur sales.
The amendment helps protect minks, foxes, rabbits and other species that are used to make fur garments or accessories. With the global pandemic underway, a mutated strain of the COVID-19 virus was also detected in minks that were farmed for fur in countries like Denmark, Canada, France, Greece, Italy and more. This highlighted the extremely unhealthy conditions in which animals are farmed in order to be slaughtered for fur.
Israel’s fur ban, although a sigh of relief, also comes with some exceptions on the use of fur. Fur forms a crucial part of religious traditions of haredi Jews, who use fur hats on the religious day of Shabbat and other holidays. The ban excludes the import of fur for religious reasons, but only for importers with special permits.
In a statement about the new amendment, Gamliel said, “The fur industry causes the deaths of hundreds of millions of animals worldwide, and inflicts indescribable cruelty and suffering. Using the skin and fur of wildlife for the fashion industry is immoral and is certainly unnecessary. Animal fur coats cannot cover the brutal murder industry that makes them. Signing these regulations will make the Israeli fashion market more environmentally friendly and far kinder to animals.”
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