Czech Republic latest country to ban fur farms

Fur farms will be illegal in the Czech Republic from 2019, after the senate passed an amendment to the animal rights law. Countries such as Austria, Britain, the Netherlands and Switzerland have already outlawed the practice.

Approved late Thursday by the senate and last month by the lower house of parliament, the text still needs to be approved by President Milos Zeman to become law in the EU member state.

The amendment bans "raising and killing animals exclusively or primarily for their fur" and should save around 20,000 animals a year -- especially foxes and minks -- according to lawmakers.

An opinion poll published in April found that about 83 percent of Czechs support the ban. Most of the world's fur farms are found in China, Scandinavia, and the United States.

The Czech Republic has around nine such farms, according to local media reports and it is possible that their owners will receive compensation from the agriculture ministry. (AFP)