Several news outlets have reported inaccurately on the government’s position on fur and foie gras following misleading coverage in the Sunday Telegraph.
Future legislation to ban the imports of fur and foie gras has not been “dropped” or “shelved”. However, with limited Parliamentary time available, other important legislation is currently taking priority – including Defra’s Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill and Kept Animals Bill.
The Government has made clear that the production of force-fed foie gras raises serious welfare concerns. Building on the opportunities presented by our departure from the EU, we are now considering any further steps that could be taken in relation to foie gras that is produced overseas using force feeding practices. We continue to gather information and speak to a range of interested parties about the issues involved.
The Government has also committed to explore potential action in relation to animal fur, as set out in the Action Plan for Animal Welfare. We have since conducted a Call for Evidence on the fur sector along with other forms of engagement with interested parties. We are continuing to build our evidence base on the fur sector, which will be used to inform any future action on the fur trade.
A Government spokesperson said:
Fur farming has been banned in the UK for over 20 years, and the production of foie gras by force feeding is already illegal in the UK.
“The UK has some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world and as set out in our Action Plan for Animal Welfare, we are committed to building a clear evidence base to inform future decisions on these issues.
“We are currently gathering information and speaking to a range of interested parties to help us do this.
4 comments
Comment by Heather Sharp posted on
If that's the case, why didn't Therese Coffey confirm in the Telegraph interview that the bans were not being shelved, but would be looked at again when time constraints were not so critical?
Comment by John W. Baxter posted on
Skinning dogs alive in China to supply a demand in the U.K. does not make it right,nor does force feeding ducks for foie gras so that we can indulge in these extravagances. Tethering sows in Europe continues as horses are trucked across Europe not unlike when we were part of Europe ,for 40 odd years. We have not really learned much….with Covid lessons trying to tell us that our inhumane tactics come at a price. Maybe one day our representatives will accept that sentient animals can be exploited not necessarily just for financial gain but for other worthy reasons , in a humane way.
It really is time we got with it and enforced our standards on food entering our food chain…….if only we could!.
Comment by John Galvin posted on
yet we allow thousands of young calves to be slaughtered every year as surplus to requirements.
Comment by Michael Hughes posted on
The Government stance on foigras is abject. Force feeding is cruel, violent. It should be banned outright