It was 1985 when I became a vegetarian. It was after a year of being a supporter of the BUAV and two years later I became a vegan. This seemed like a natural move but actually veganism lasted only six months, for various reasons. It opened up my eyes to lots of different sorts of foods but being weak of will I went back to being solely a vegetarian and in the late nineties I started eating fish again (although morally, I still struggle with this).

With that background in your mind, I now ask you a question. If I wear leather goods, why should I be against people who wear fur? Why should so many others take exception to fur, including people who eat meat? Perhaps it is this.  Although I don’t think it is morally right for anyone in the UK to kill any animal for food as there is simply no physical reason to do so, if you are going to you might as well make use of the by-products at the same time (e.g. leather). But fur?  I’m thinking of the meat popularly eaten in Britain and none of the by-products includes fur. Mink is not a dish traditionally eaten in the UK. Nor is fox. Squirrel briefly gained our attention, but mostly as a flavour of Walkers crisps (I’m not sure if it is still going).

It seems to me that the fur industry exists solely for the vanity of those rich enough to buy its products. The animals are kept or slaughtered for no other reason. Like testing cosmetics on animals and hunting wild animals with dogs, the fur trade captures the popular imagination because there is no good reason for it.

I’d like to hear what other people think, pro or anti. I’ll post your (clean) comments on this site.