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UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is being urged to lead world leaders towards a global ban on fur farming.
67 infectious disease experts have written to the politician ahead of the G7 summit.
The event brings together the heads of governments from a slew of wealthy democracies such as Canada and the US. It will be hosted in Cornwall, England, at the end of this week.
Global fur farming ban
The letter comes from virologists, epidemiologists, infectious disease specialists, veterinarians, and animal behaviorists from 16 countries. Moreover, it is coordinated by animal protection NGO Humane Society International (HSI).
“It’s clear fur farms have the potential to act as reservoirs of SARS-CoV-2…” reads the letter.
“The intensive breeding conditions typical on fur farms – animals unnaturally crowded together, poor hygiene, stress, injuries and low genetic diversity – are ideal for the creation and spread of novel pathogens.
“Severe animal welfare deficiencies are inherent to factory fur farming. The trade creates the potential for the many tens of millions of animals on fur farms to act as immediate, intermediate, or amplifier hosts for viral pathogens.
“To risk jeopardising our ability to control and end this or future global coronavirus pandemics, for the sake of fur fashion production, would seem imprudent.
“We therefore support the call by HSI for a permanent global end to the…
