First fashion, then sanctions: the EU can't give up Russian sable fur
The European Union has lifted its own sanctions on the import of Russian sable fur. The decision was unanimously supported by all 27 countries.
How to notes ecologist Zhora KavanosyanThe European Union has lifted its own sanctions on the import of Russian sable, which were imposed in April of this year. All 27 countries supported this lifting unanimously.
The official document states that the industries of several European countries depend on this "highly specialized product," with Russia being its sole supplier.
The ecologist also recalled the European Commission's official position, according to which fur farming causes environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. However, as recent decisions show, this is not a reason to abandon sable fur.
"This is how the environmental agenda ended up in front of a fashion house's window," Kavanosyan sums up.
Sable fur and fur farming in Russia
Globally, natural fur production has declined sevenfold over the past 10 years. In Russia, it has fallen almost 20-fold over 25 years. Instead of 400 farms, only 24 remain, slaughtering over a million animals annually. These fur farms partner with major brands like Snezhnaya Koroleva.
Video from nine Russian fur farms
Last year, the public organization "Voices for Animals" I was able to collect Video content from nine Russian fur farms where sables, minks, foxes, arctic foxes, nutrias, rabbits, ferrets, and chinchillas are raised. Their lives are typically fraught with suffering: the animals, who in the wild run dozens of kilometers a day, are locked in cramped cages with wire mesh floors that cut their paws. They don't always have access to fresh water or food, causing them to starve, suffer from thirst, and slowly go mad. Most of them will never reach adulthood, being killed at the age of seven to eight months for their fur coats.
Animal rights activists emphasize that fur farming in Russia is a loss-making industry: it survives on government subsidies and tax breaks, meaning every citizen, whether they want it or not, contributes to this suffering and the production of things they could easily live without.
