On Thursday, 22 September, Latvia’s Saeima passed in the final reading amendments to the Animal Protection Law in order to bank animal farming if the main purpose is collecting their fur. This ban is planned to come into force on 1 January 2028.
The objective of these amendments is completely banning fur farming in Latvia. Amendments do not apply to acquisition of furs during hunts or trade of furs.
At first it was planned to impose the ban starting with 2026, but then it was decided to postpone it until 2028.
The Food and Veterinary Service reports there are four fur farms in Latvia that breed animals specifically for their fur. All three fur farms specialise in mink fur.
The annotation to the law mentions that animal keeping and killing for fur is unethical, cruel and an outdated form of business that has no justification to exist in modern day. According to authors of amendments, this business pollutes the environment and does not contribute to the national economy.
It is planned for amendments to prevent the deaths and suffering of those animals, authors of legislative draft say. The preamble to the Animal Protection Law states that
«without a substantiated reason no one is permitted to kill an animal, to cause it pain, create suffering or to otherwise harm it,» which is breached by the practice of breeding and killing of foxes, mink and chinchillas for fur.
Authors of amendments say that results of sociological surveys indicate that the majority of residents in Latvia are against breeding and killing animals without a justified reason. Many countries have already banned fur farming within their respectable territories.
According to the survey carried out by SKDS in 2021, 63% of respondents in Latvia do not approve of breeding and keeping animals for their fur coats. More than 40 000 people signed the online petition addressed to the Saeima in hopes of banning fur farming. More than 50 non-government organisations have also requested this industry to be banned in the country on multiple occasions, politicians say.
At the same time, authors of amendments stress that the opinion in Latvia reflects the trend in Europe, where many countries have different restrictions in place.
Saeima deputies stress there is reason to believe animal suffering is an unavoidable part of fur farming. Without it, this business would not be profitable. Animal Protection Law states that animal owners have the obligation to ensure the compliance of animal keeping conditions, equipment, food and water with its physiological and ethological needs taking into account the species of the relevant animal, degree of development, adaptation and domestication.
Cages, however, do not, for example, allow mink to swim, foxes to dig and socialize, chinchillas – to frolic and leap, Saeima deputies stress.
Animals kept in cages are subjected to constant suffering even if fur farming is carried out in accordance with Cabinet of Ministers requirements for fur animals’ welfare, authors of amendments stress.
According to information from Agricultural Data Centre for 1 July 2020, there were 579 945 animals kept in fur farms in Latvia. This includes 579 320 mink, 443 foxes and 182 chinchillas. This means mink account for 99% of animals kept in fur farms. In the wild, mink cover a distance between 1 and 3 m2. They are solitary, territorial animals that partially live in water.
However, Cabinet of Ministers requirements on animal welfare state that mink are permitted to be kept in 30x70x45 cm large cages in close proximity to other mink. Needless to say there is no way for them to frolic, swim or hunt in those cages.
According to information provided by Saeima deputies, scientific research indicates that the lack of swimming causes high stress levels and a shortage of food for mink.
The conditions these animals are kept in are far from their natural habitat, which causes psychological stress and behaviour typical for mink kept in fur farms – pointless repetition of the same actions over and over.
Fur farm employees kill mink by putting them in gas cameras and flood them with carbon monoxide or dioxide. For years it’s been known that this method is slow and painful, since mink can hold their breath for long periods of time and have been known to survive even after 10 to 20 minuts of gassing, as mentioned in the annotation to the passed amendments.
In June 2021 there were eight fur farms registered in Latvia. The tax revenue from PIT, corporate income tax and VAT in 2019 and 2020 was negative. VAT returns exceeded revenue from other taxes, politicians say.