Urgent action needed in Bosnia

Wednesday 31 January 2018 will be a big day for animals in Bosnia – Herzegovina. The nation’s fur farming ban came into force earlier this month and was once the admiration of much of Europe.

However, next Wednesday, Bosnian parliamentarians will take the final vote which – if passed- means fur farming will be allowed for a further ten years. We can’t let this happen without a fight.

Thankfully, there are inspiring and committed activists on the ground who will be launching protests on Sunday- but they’ve asked us, and you, for our help (see below!).

Chinchillas, mink and rabbits are bred and killed for their fur in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Bosnian fur farming industry hardly creates employment opportunities: on average a fur farm in Bosnia and Herzegovina employs only two workers. It would be wise for the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina no to further invest in such an unstable industry as fur farming, but better yet explore more sustainable types of industries that are profitable in the long-term.

An increasing number of countries around the world are legislating against fur farming. The ethical concerns of a large majority of the population and the inherent cruelty of fur farming have led more and more countries to close down fur farms in recent years. Fur factory farming has already been banned in the UK, the Netherlands, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Macedonia, Czech Republic and more.

Here in the UK, we have successfully banned fur farming for many years, and we urge the Bosnian government to stay committed to a Europe that values animal welfare by upholding the Bosnian 2009 Animal Protection Act and make an end to the widely-condemned practice of fur farming once and for all.

Fur farming is inherently cruel. The suffering of animals held in fur factory farms has been scientifically and comprehensively exposed in the Respect for Animals’ recent report (The Case Against Fur Factory Farming: A Scientific Review of Animal Welfare Standards and ‘WelFur’) which was unveiled at the European Parliament. An in-depth scientific analysis, the report concludes: ‘It is impossible for the needs of mink and foxes to be met by the fur industry. A ban is the only viable solution to the serious welfare concern highlighted in this report.’

What you can do:

1) Express your support on social media using #FurFreeBosnia.

Compassionate people around Europe are using their social media presence to call on Bosnia to close their fur farms.

Please take a selfie of yourself holding our ‘Bosnia, close your fur farms’ sign, upload it to your social media and don’t forget to use the #FurFreeBosnia hashtag!

Download our ‘Bosnia, close your fur farms’ poster here! (or feel free to make your own)

If you don’t want to take a selfie and are on Twitter, please click here to Tweet your support for the Bosnian fur farming ban.