LONDON – Animal rights organisation PETA has written to the Dutch minister of agriculture, nature and food quality, Carola Schouten, urging the country’s government to bring forward its 2024 ban of mink fur, after news that mink on native farms have tested positive for coronavirus.
The organisation, which routinely campaigns for animal welfare – often in the fashion industry, has urged the Netherland’s authorities to bring about this ban sooner rather than later, and points to research by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as evidence to support its proposal.
“Approximately 75 per cent of recently emerging infectious diseases affecting people began as diseases in animals,” PETA points out. “In the face of a global crisis stemming from the wildlife trade, the Netherlands shouldn't wait another four years to shut down its last remaining fur farms – it must take action now.”
