Scottish tennis star among celebrities backing fur ban after Brexit

Scottish tennis star Andy Murray, a three-time Grand Slam tournament winner and two-time Olympic champion, is among a group of celebrities who have called on the UK government to use new trade freedom powers after Brexit to ban all fur imports. They have sent an open letter to a Sunday newspaper pointing out that it is hypocritical that fur farming was banned in the UK but that products could still be imported. They write :“If fur is too cruel to produce in this country, it’s too cruel to sell in this country.

 “It is from animals who have been brutally electrocuted or gassed and sometimes even skinned alive. It is from animals caught and left for days in barbaric leg-hold traps. They endure all of this to then have their fur processed into a frivolous trim on a hat, coat, shoe or handbag. We should not trade on their suffering.”

A ban on fur imports has so far been impossible while the UK remains in the European Single Market, which seeks to guarantee the free movement of goods, capital, services, and labour within the European Union. A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesperson said: “As we leave the EU, we have a unique opportunity to ensure we have the highest standards in every area of animal welfare.”