India bans imports of reptile skins, mink and fox furs

By

Matthieu Guinebault

Translated by
Nicola Mira

Published
Jan 6, 2017

After the publication of videos showing evidence of abuse in breeding farms in Vietnam, Zimbabwe and Texas, India's Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has announced a ban on the imports of reptile skins and also on mink, fox and chinchilla furs.

In December, international animal rights organisation PETA published shocking videos showing animals held in undersized cages and being skinned alive in breeding farms that PETA says sells skins to Louis Vuitton. A year earlier, similar images shot in Zimbabwe and Texas exposed the practices of companies that PETA claimed were suppliers of the Hermès group.

"Animals are not to be treated like textile fabrics, and we congratulate the Indian government for recognising this and setting an example which other countries should follow," said Isabelle Goetz, spokesperson of PETA France, who expressed the hope that the Indian DGFT’s decision will encourage international labels to use "vegan and innovative fabrics" more extensively.