MEDIA RELEASE: 27th MAY 2020

CANTERBURY-BANKSTOWN COUNCIL NEXT IN LINE TO BAN FUR: ANIMAL JUSTICE PARTY MP SAYS COUNCIL IS LEADING THE WAY IN ANIMAL PROTECTION

Animal Justice Party MP Emma Hurst, who has been working closely with councils in NSW on the issue of fur and the banning of fur sales, has congratulated Canterbury-Bankstown Council on last night’s Notice of Motion, revealing the intention of the Council to move to become ‘fur free’. 

“This fantastic step by Labor Clr Clare Raffan would see Canterbury-Bankstown become one of the first councils in Australia to go fur free. I am so glad to see the councillors in Canterbury-Bankstown listening to local residents’ concerns about animal cruelty,” said Ms Hurst.

The council is the second in Australia to indicate they will go fur-free, after the City of Sydney made a similar announcement earlier this year.

“The heinous animal abuse within the fur trade is well known. No reputable fashion label still uses fur. Now that we are seeing councils in NSW ban fur, the writing is on the wall: the future of fashion is fur-free,” continued Ms Hurst.

Fur bans overseas in the UK and US raised concerns around recycled fashion and vintage fur coats becoming landfill, if not allowed to be sold at markets and stalls.

“An innovative aspect of the work the Animal Justice Party is doing with councils is to encourage people to donate any vintage fur coats to Snuggle Coats – an organisation turning old fur into pouches for orphaned wildlife. After the bushfires earlier this year, leading to so many orphaned and injured animals, we can’t think of anything more positive than to give these coats back to the animals,” said Ms Hurst.

“Over 50 million animals suffer and die as victims of the international fur trade. The people of Canterbury-Bankstown would be horrified if they saw what goes on behind the scenes in this barbaric industry. Animals in the fur trade are killed by anal electrocution, gassing, breaking their necks, or skinning them alive – these are all inhumane and often ineffective methods designed to avoid damage to their fur.

“I’m confident that other councils will be following Canterbury-Bankstown’s leadership. Just as councils all around Australia progressively banned animal circuses on council land, I think the focus of councils in 2020 will be to ban fur.

“It is great to see Canterbury-Bankstown Council, the largest council in NSW, being leaders on ethical animal policies,” said Ms Hurst.

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