The Fur-Free Movement is Growing and We Need Your Help

Each year, up to 100 million animals are killed for their fur. Most are raised on fur factory farms, trapped in tiny wire cages and forced to endure a life of shocking cruelty. However, we are seeing a positive trend in proposed legislation that could ban fur sales and fur farming on both the state and national level—but we need your help to make it happen!

In our home state of Massachusetts, “An Act Prohibiting the Sale of Fur Products” has been introduced in both the Senate (S.551) and the House (H.990). This bill would ban the sale of new fur farmed products in the Commonwealth, building on the trend that has been growing within the state and the country. Animals in fur factory farms are not protected by state or federal animal welfare laws or humane slaughter laws like other farm animals, so these animals are especially in need of protection. Within the past five years, eight municipalities in Massachusetts have enacted bans on the sale of new fur products, and the state of California became the first U.S. state to pass a ban in 2019.

Encouragingly, a recent poll commissioned by the Boston-based office of FOUR PAWS and conducted by renowned market research institute YouGov, found that 67% of MA residents surveyed are in support of a statewide ban on the sale of new fur farmed products. This support increased even further to 73% after respondents received more information about the fur farm industry. This survey proves that Massachusetts residents wish to strengthen animal protection laws in the Commonwealth by banning new fur farmed products.

Massachusetts residents—you can help pass the fur ban bill!  The proposed bills are currently still in the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources in the Massachusetts State Legislature. Please call your state Senator and House Representative and urge them to promptly release bills S.551 and H.990 with a favorable report out of committee and then vote in support of the fur ban bills when they come to the floor. You can look up your elected officials here.

FOUR PAWS is also supporting a fur sales ban bill in the state of Rhode Island. Senate Bill 2221, “Trade in Farmed Animal Fur Products” is similar to the MA bill and would make it unlawful to sell new fur products, including clothing, accessories and home décor, from animals raised in captivity for their fur. Rhode Island residents, please call your state Senator and ask them to support this fur ban bill! You can look up your elected officials here. 

Federally, a bill that would prohibit the farming of mink for their fur has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Mink VIRUS Act (H.R. 2185) focuses both on the animal welfare aspects of fur production as well as the public health risks of disease transmission that stem from the overcrowded, unsanitary conditions that are found on fur farms. “The Mink Vectors for Infection Risk in the United States (VIRUS) Act” would prohibit the farming of mink after a 1-year phase out program, set guidelines for humanely euthanizing mink, and would also create a program that helps mink farmers transition to a new industry.

You can help pass the Mink VIRUS Act! The bill is currently stuck in the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry. Please call and email your federal Representative and ask them to co-sponsor this important bill. You can look up your rep here.

If these state and federal bills are passed, they will be following the trend towards fur-free fashion occurring throughout the entertainment and fashion industry. This spring, the Television Academy announced that the 2026 Emmys would no longer allow real animal fur on the red carpet.  Additionally, the Council of Fashion Designers of America announced their new fur-free policy, which officially begins for New York Fashion Week in September 2026. The Boston Fashion Week has a strict fur-free policy in place as well. High profile fashion magazines have also prohibited the promotion of animal fur, including Hearst Magazines (whose portfolio includes Elle, Esquire, Seventeen, and Cosmopolitan) and Conde Nast (parent company for Vogue, Glamour, GQ, Vanity Fair). See a full list of fur-free retailers here, and learn more about our #WearItKind campaign that advocates for animal-friendly fashion.

Whether you are taking action on the local, state, or federal level, be a part of the movement to end fur sales and fur farming—for the sake of the animals and public health!