Plucking of angora rabbits – the fight continues
We have been fighting since 2016 for a ban on the plucking of angora rabbits. Last year the Council of State rejected our complaint despite new images. France is deaf so we are now turning to Europe.
We have been fighting since 2016 for a ban on the plucking of angora rabbits. Last yearthe Council of State rejected our complaint despite new images. France is deaf so we arenow turning to Europe.
The barbarous practice of plucking
Following our 2016 undercover investigation we showed how angora rabbits have their fur plucked out. They are tied to a table by their four paws, often under the eyes of their fellows, while their fur is pulled out by hand at top speed, and sometimes strips of their skin are pulled off too. Before this procedure they are given lagodendron, a plant that makes the fur come out more easily but does not dull the pain and is not authorised for sale. We shan’t mention their miserable living conditions here. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food at the time hid behind a report by INRA (Institut national de la recherche agronomique – National Institute of Agricultural Research) arguing that the procedure did not amount to mistreatment. We asked to see this report, which turns out never to have existed! In 2018 the images taken by our whistleblowers showed that nothing had changed since our first investigation. This summer, the footage we publish do not differ from the former ones. The rabbits wish they would have.
We are not giving up!
In June 2019 the Council of State rejected our complaint because allegedly this method did not cause suffering. Who are they trying to kid? Didn’t they have the sound turned on when watching our videos and therefore not hear the blood-curdling cries of pain and terror?
We told you we were going to bring a complaint against France to Europe. We’ve now done so! We shall fight to have animal welfare respected in this system to which legislation seems not to apply. When will this barbarous and outdated practice cease? When will the clothing industry stop using materials deriving from animal suffering? When will the feelings of these living beings finally be taken into account? Have the French not pronounced in favour of respecting animals? While waiting for justice to be done, please continue to sign our petition and to share it. In addition to a ban on this horrible practice, our aim is to get these fur farms shut down. We are continuing the fight!