Estonia to ban fur farming by end of 2025

Estonian lawmakers agreed to ban fur farming and instructed the remaining producers to shut down by the end of 2025, following a vote on Wednesday.

Fifty-five lawmakers voted for the amendment to ban the breeding and killing of animals for the sole purpose of obtaining furs, to 19 against.

Animal rights activists greeted what they described as a "historic victory." Many have repeatedly criticized the cages and conditions in fur farms as cruel.

"We have been working towards this for years and are very happy that Estonia has become the first Baltic state to ban fur farms," said Annaliisa Post of Loomus, an animal welfare organization.

Discussion of a ban began in 2009, but two bills failed to pass, in 2017 and 2019.