PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Animal Products: Imports (12 April 2021)

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the Government's policy is on the import of (a) animal fur which is farmed and slaughtered in conditions which do not meet the UK's animal welfare standards and (b) other similarly produced animal products.

Asked by:
Nadia Whittome (Labour)

Fur farming has been banned in England and Wales since 2000 and since 2002 in Scotland and Northern Ireland. There are restrictions on some skin and fur products which may never be legally imported into the UK. These include fur and products from cats and dogs, and seal skins and products from commercial hunts. We have established controls on fur from endangered species protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and we do not allow imports of fur from wild animals caught using methods which are non-compliant with international humane trapping standards.

We have some of the highest welfare standards in the world, and that is both a source of pride and a clear reflection of UK attitudes towards animals. The Government is considering any further steps it could take in relation to the import of animal fur, and other similarly produced animal products, which are farmed and slaughtered in conditions which do not meet the UKs animal welfare standards.

Answered by:
Victoria Prentis (Conservative)
15 April 2021