DENVER—The Yes on 308 committee launched today to support Denver Citizen-Initiated Ordinance 308, which will appear on the ballot for all Denver voters. This proposed ordinance will end the sale of new fur products within the city. It will prohibit the sale of new fur clothing, accessories, and home décor, and provide commonsense exemptions for used fur products, fur products used by Native Americans for cultural purposes and other materials like leather and wool from animals defined as livestock in the state of Colorado.
If passed, Ordinance 308 will protect countless foxes, raccoon dogs, mink, and chinchillas who are bred by the thousands and held captive on fur factory farms solely for fashion and accessories. Fur-farmed animals spend their entire lives in cramped cages before they are killed by electrocution or gassing. Most animal fur products are imported from other countries, mainly China. However, even in the U.S., there are no state or federal humane slaughter laws or animal welfare laws that protect fur-farmed animals from the cruelest practices. There are no requirements for basic veterinary care, despite the rapid spread of diseases that commonly occur in these unsanitary facilities. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there are no fur farms in Colorado.
Aubyn Royall, campaign director for Yes on 308, said: “Our Committee supports Ordinance 308 to prohibit the sale of new fur products in Denver because there is simply no reason for our city to support the cruel fur trade. Despite an abundance of humane and ecofriendly alternative materials, tens of millions of animals continue to suffer every year in fur factory farms. They are killed for nothing more than their fur and are not protected by even the most basic animal welfare laws. The lives of animals like foxes, mink, and raccoon dogs are worth more than a decorative pillow, scarf, or earmuffs. I urge all Denver voters to support Ordinance 308 when filling out their ballots this November.”
Across the U.S., cities and states are actively taking a stand against the fur industry. Sixteen municipalities, as well as the state of California, have passed similar prohibitions on the sale of new fur products. This includes Boulder, which passed a fur sales ordinance in 2021. In the 1980s, Aspen passed a partial prohibition on the sale of fur products from animals trapped using a steel-jaw leg hold trap to reflect the community’s opposition to animal cruelty. Several additional cities across the country are currently considering fur sales prohibitions, and more than 20 countries have banned or severely restricted fur farming due to the immense animal cruelty, spread of potentially zoonotic diseases, and environmental damage caused by the facilities.
Paid for by Yes on 308. You can learn more about the Yes on 308 committee here.