Co-organised by Fur Free Alliance, Vier Pfoten, and Human Society International, this event will be hold on the 21th of January at 12h30 in the European Parliament. It will present evidence that the WelFur certification scheme developed by the fur industry is part of its 'animal welfare-washing' strategy which actually aims to maintain the status quo whilst attempting to pacify the many critics of fur farming on its incompatibility with animal welfare. 

The breeding of animals for the purposes of fur production is a highly contentious issue, which is opposed by many EU citizens who believe that it is unacceptable to keep and kill animals for the production of a luxury product even though there are many warm and humane alternatives. Opinion polls from a number of European countries have consistently demonstrated that the majority of EU citizens consider breeding animals for fur unacceptable.

However, the European fur industry has been intensively lobbying the European institutions to greenwash fur farming, including with the promotion of their WelFur certification scheme. The new research report 'Certified Cruel: Why WelFur Fails to Stop the Suffering of Animals on Fur Farms' will be presented at the event and raise concerns on the incompatibility of fur farming with basic animal welfare standards and the EU Directive 98/58/EC on the protection of animals kept for farming purposes. The roundtable event at the European Parliament will bring together invited EU Member State representatives, veterinary experts and animal protection NGOs.