Fur ban call: Labour has "exported cruelty"
25 September 2008
Photo opportunity: Belgrave Sq, London; 12 noon, Saturday 27 September 2008. National Anti Fur March and Rally; speeches including Green Party Deputy Leader Adrian Ramsay.The new Deputy Leader of the Green Party, Adrian Ramsay, will call for a ban on fur imports in an address to the National Anti Fur March and Rally [1] in Belgrave Square, London, on Saturday 27th September at noon. Councillor Ramsay is the only politician speaking, and the Greens are the only party committed to ending the killing of animals for their fur.
Fur farming has been banned in the UK since 2003 [2], but the march will pass the stores of the many fashion houses that still import furs from farms overseas. The route will visit Gucci, Prada, Escada, Versace, Fendi, Joseph, Armani and Burberry, as well as Harrods, the only department store in the UK that still sells real fur.
Ahead of the march, Councillor Ramsay, Green Party Parliamentary Candidate for Norwich South [3], said:
"The vast majority of UK residents do not buy real fur and the vast majority of clothes stores do not sell it, but unfortunately there are still some people buying and wearing fur, and fur has seen a slight comeback in recent designer collections.
"The Government was right to ban fur farms back in 2003 - but why haven't they also stopped the import of furs from foreign farms? With this huge loophole, Labour has exported the cruelty abroad.
"85% of the fur industry's skins come from factory farms where animals are kept in unnatural, cramped conditions where disease spreads quickly and where horrific slaughter methods are often used.
"If I'm elected to Parliament, I'll push for a ban on fur imports, to help put an end to the cruel, unnecessary and outdated practice of fur farming."
ENDS
Notes to editors:
1. For details of the march and rally, including pictures of last year's event, see: http://www.caft.org.uk/
2. The Fur Farming (Prohibition) Act 2000, The Fur Farming (Prohibition) (Scotland) Act 2002, and The Fur Farming (Prohibition) (Northern Ireland) Order 2002 all came into force on January 1, 2003.
3. In the 2008 local elections the Green Party finished in first place across the Norwich South General Election constituency - three thousand votes ahead of Labour.
For more information on fur farming, see the PETA factsheet at: http://www.peta.org.uk/factsheet/files/FactsheetDisplay.asp?ID=127
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