Banning fur: Good for Supervisor Tang

Future generations will denounce us for how slowly we reacted to global warming. They will also be shocked at the cruelty of our factory farming system---and our fur farm system. The least we can do is stop killing animals for clothing:

From the SF Examiner:

San Francisco became the largest city in the nation Tuesday to ban the sale of fur clothing, following the lead of West Hollywood and Berkeley.

The Board of Supervisors approved the ban in a unanimous vote and it will go into effect in January 2019.

Supervisor Katy Tang, who introduced the fur sale ban legislation, amended the proposal before the vote to allow retailers who have fur in their existing inventory to be able to sell it until January 2020 if the fur was ordered before March 20, 2018.

“More than 50 million animals are violently killed each year around the world to support the fashion industry,” Tang said in a statement after the vote. “San Francisco is a city with progressive values where we believe in the rights of all people as well as all living things – and it is not right to allow this practice to continue.”

In adopting the ban, the board stood up against business advocates and the fur industry who warned of a loss of millions of dollars and jobs.

Estimated fur sales in San Francisco range from $11 million to as high as $40 million. A ban would most impact the estimated 30 retailers in the Union Square area who sell fur products.

Instead, the board sided with animal rights advocates and groups like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, who sent hundreds of letters to board members supporting the ban and decrying the abuse of animals by fur farms.

It’s estimated more than 50 million animals are killed every year throughout the world for their fur and 85 percent of pelts come from fur farms. There were 275 mink farms operating in 23 states in the United States in 2013, which produced about 3 million pelts valued at more than $300 million.

The ban doesn’t apply to other animal products like leather or lambskin or wool. Second-hand shops could continue to sell used fur products. Violators of the ban could face penalties of up to $1,000...

Mayor Mark Farrell backs the legislation. “I fully support the Supervisor Katy Tang’s legislation and plan to sign it when it crosses my desk,” Farrell said.