In a move that could end the animal fur trade in Switzerland, the Swiss Federal Council announced in May that it will ban all imports of fur and fur products produced using “methods that involve cruelty to animals." Switzerland is the first country to restrict fur imports. (Israel banned fur sales in 2021.) The ban goes into effect on July 1, 2025, with a two-year transition period giving traders time to transition to other products.
In 2023, Switzerland imported more than $30 million worth of fur apparel and fur skins from around the world. If the ban is properly implemented, that number should become zero because all fur is produced through animal cruelty. This means tens of thousands of animals will not suffer and die in horrendous ways solely for a fashion accessory.
More than a decade ago, the Swiss government passed a fur labeling law requiring that all fur products sold in the country disclose the animal species, country of origin and how the fur was produced—from animals either raised on a wire-bottom cage or trapped in the wild—on the label. While the intention was to give the public basic information about the fur and its sourced, the law was routinely ignored, which is partly why the government has pivoted to an import ban.
The import ban marks a significant blow to the international fur trade. The majority of fur produced worldwide comes from large fur factory farms where tens of millions of wild animals are confined in small, wire-bottomed cages for their entire lives. They are unable to engage in their most natural behaviors—such as running, digging and, in the case of mink, swimming—and they are killed by gassing, electrocution or bludgeoning. It’s an industry whose methods and profits are inextricably tied to animal cruelty.
The Swiss regulation clearly refers to a definition of cruelty derived from the “Five Freedoms,” the World Organization for Animal Health’s guiding principles on animal welfare, and we know the fur trade cannot provide a scenario in which these principles of animal welfare are met. Putting animals such as foxes, mink and raccoon dogs in barren cages will never meet the Five Freedoms, and therefore, must be considered “cruel.”
Likewise, most wild-caught fur comes from animals trapped using leghold traps, which can hold the animal for hours or even days without food or water. It’s not uncommon for the animal to gnaw off his or her own limb in an attempt to escape. Once found, if still alive, the animal is usually killed by bludgeoning, drowning, chest compression or strangulation.
Yet there is still some concern that the ban doesn’t go far enough; some ambiguity remains at this stage about what may be allowed under any proposed “certification” scheme and whether or not the ban includes—as it should—all sources of fur production, because all are inherently cruel. Humane World for Animals has often warned legislators that the fur trade is seeking any opportunity to legitimize its bogus welfare schemes, and this Swiss ban or indeed any legislation must not provide such an opportunity.
For example, while the import ban disallows fur imports that come from animals caught and killed using cruel leghold traps, snares and drowning traps, the text doesn’t mention other traps, such as the “Conibear” or body-gripping trap, potentially allowing fur from animals killed by these lethal traps to still be imported. Conibear traps are designed to kill an animal by crushing the animal’s neck or chest with steel jaws. While these devices may be intended to kill the animal instantly, they do so inconsistently and can cause prolonged and excruciating suffering as the animal struggles to escape. It’s hard to imagine a reality in which these traps could reasonably be considered as anything but immensely cruel.
Each of the numerous investigations Humane World has conducted over the last decade has revealed the horrifying realities of the fur trade; it’s clear that animal cruelty is inherent to this industry, which prioritizes keeping costs low and not damaging the pelt over the animal’s well-being. The public and scientists around the world are clear on what constitutes animal cruelty, and importantly how intensive fur farms and indiscriminate trapping can never be humane. Even the former CEO of the British Fur Trade Association, after 10 years trying to promote industry standards, came to the realization that he could no longer defend the indefensible and now works with us to advocate for an end to the fur trade.
This is why most fashion brands have announced fur-free policies and switched to more modern alternatives, California and 16 municipalities across the U.S. have banned fur sales and 22 countries throughout Europe have banned fur production. It’s also why more than 1.5 million EU citizens have called for an end to fur production and trade in Europe.
The fur trade is trying to conceal the suffering and misery of its operations behind welfare schemes that have been shown time and again to fall far short of meaningful measures to provide animals with any kind of life worth living. Until all fur production is ended for good, we’ll continue to shine a spotlight on the cruelty behind the fur trade and continue to highlight why it’s necessary to ban it all, without ambiguity.
