Czech Republic to Adopt Ban on Fur Farms

The news is being celebrated by PETA and animal rights activists worldwide – Czech breeders, however, say the decision is unfair

Expats.cz Staff Jason Pirodsky

Written by Expats.cz StaffJason Pirodsky Published on 08.06.2017 15:44:41 (updated on 08.06.2017) Reading time: 1 minute

Czech MPs have passed a bill which could signal the end of fur farming here, multiple local media outlets are reporting this week.

The bill awaits confirmation by the Senate and final authorization by the president, but according to animal rights organzation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), who funded OBRAZ (Obránci zvířat), the local group of activists group working toward the legislation, the ban is certain.

The week prior to the vote, OBRAZ activists appealed to MPs from Malostranské Square, near Czech parliament, where the group staged a protest featuring a human-size cage which held one very famous “fox” (actor Pavel Liška) in captivity.

Eightythree percent of the Czech population is in favor of banning fur farming; the bill is intended to spare about 20,000 minks and foxes that are killed annually for their pelts.

Photo: Obránci zvířat / FB
Photo: Obránci zvířat / FB

One group that isn’t a fan of the ban, however, is Czech breeders who say the bill has the potential to deprive them of their livelihood.

Helena Dubjuková, who has been running a farm in in Nový Jičín for over 20 years, insisted that not all farms take an inhumane approach to breeding animals:

“Someone made a mistake, The House of Deputies, and now we punish everyone around. It’s like someone’s put up a roadblock and now all the cars are canceled.” she told the Czech media.

The approval, which passed by 132 of the 161 present members, and was preceded by an emotional debate, could take effect as early as January 2019.

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