Israel announced a ban Wednesday on the sale of fur in the fashion trade. “Commerce in animal fur, imports and exports, will be banned,” the environment ministry said.
The ban will go into effect in six months. But the ministry made exceptions for “research, study or certain religious traditions”.
The import of fur for religious reasons is the main use of fur in Israel, according to The Times of Israel. Jewish men wear shtreimels, hats made from fur. A shtreimel is usually made from the tails of sables or foxes.
Israel makes history by being the first entire country to ban the sale of fur, the International Anti-Fur Coalition (IAFC) wrote on their Facebook Page.
“Via banning the sale of fur, Israel protects millions of innocent animals for an anguished life in filthy cramped cages,” IAFC said.
“The rapid spread of COVID-19 in fur farms worldwide and the virus jumping between human and animal made it evident that fur farms are a breeding ground for pandemics and accelerated mutation,” they added.
The coronavirus was detected on mink farms in Denmark, Sweden, Lithuania, Ireland, Greece, the Netherlands, the United States, Italy, Spain and Canada.
In 2019, the state of California in the United States announced a ban on fur by 2023. According to IAFC, the United Kingdom (UK) will be the following country to announce a ban on the sale of fur.
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