Fur farming is a cruel and unnecessary practice that should not be taking place in Europe. The keeping conditions in fur farms do not meet the natural needs of fur animals and never will. Aside from animal welfare issues, fur farming acts as a reservoir of diseases and poses a risk to public health and the environment.

On May 18, 2022, the Fur Free Europe ECI was launched, calling for an EU-wide ban on the keeping and killing of fur animals as well as the placing of farmed fur products on the EU market.

In February 2023 the ECI was closed early after receiving a staggering 1,701,892 in less than 10 months! The final validation of signatures by Member States counted more than 1.5 million signatures.

In December 2023, the Commission responded to the ECI with giving a mandate to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to provide scientific advice on banning fur farms and placing farmed fur products in the EU. They will provide advice by March 2025, which gives the Commission until March 2026 to state if it considers it appropriate to propose a ban, after a transition period.