There are laws, including in the UK, banning the use of domestic cats and dog species for fur across the globe and the members of organised fur sector have had a voluntary worldwide ban that pre-dates these laws. Fur from domestic cat or dog is not suitable to be used in fur coats. The fur trade actively supports all governments to legislate against any mislabelling of fur products and enforce that legislation.

Wild fur species are abundant and need to be managed through conservation programmes. In fact, trapping for fur is part of many wildlife management programmes in the countries that produce wild fur because fur species tend to be abundant predators which need to be controlled for the health of an ecosystem. The fur sector is actively adhering to the sustainable use conservation principle and is not seen as an issue by conservationists. In fact, the International Fur Federation has been a voting member of the IUCN (the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) since 1985 and sponsors IUCN Conservation projects. Furthermore, the fur sector and its members have encouraged and supported CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) Since its Inception in the 1970’s.

The majority of animals trapped are not for fur but for pest or environmental control. As part of the Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards (AIHTS) that is recognised and endorsed by all fur producing countries, all traps used for any reason must reach a humane standard which, depending on the species, requires the animal to be killed outright and quickly. Trap lines must be visited within a day of being set. Trappers must also conform to local, regional and provincial laws and regulations and will need a licence to operate in their locality that is subject to on the spot, unannounced inspection by law enforcement. The UK implemented AIHTS into UK law in 2019 and became a stand-alone party following the end of EU transition period.

It has been illegal to hunt baby seals (also known as whitecoats and bluebacks) in Canada (the largest producers of sealskins and meat) since 1985.  Over 90% of seals are hunted by trained huntsman using rifles, and seals are hunted to strict quotas set by conservationists according to population levels.  The annual seal hunt is independently monitored.  The International Fur Federation supports efforts to create international hunting standards for all seals hunted for any reason including those hunted to preserve fish stocks, not just those traded commercially.

You may have seen a video taken in China and released in 2005, but here are the facts: filmed confessions and signed affidavits from those involved have now proven that, in fact, the events were intentionally staged by professional activists who paid Chinese villagers to perform these cruel acts in order to make an anti-fur propaganda piece. Such cruelty is of course illegal in all fur producing countries, and moreover, the fur sector actively encourages all governments to enforce anti-cruelty laws. Not only would skinning an animal alive be unimaginable sadistic and unethical, it would also be unnecessarily difficult, impractical, dangerous and result in a poor-quality pelt. In fact, the animal must have been dead for several hours before the pelting process can begin. Anyone who attempts to carry out such a vile procedure should be dealt with by the law.

The US Non profit Center for Consumer Freedom published documents online, obtained by a Freedom of Information Request showing that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals ~(PETA) killed a staggering 95.9% of the adoptable pets in care during 2011.  Despite years of public outrage over its euthanasia programme, the notorious animal rights group has continued killing adoptable animals at its Norfolk, VA headquarters, at an average of 57 pets per week.