Bulgaria Approves Fur Farming Ban in Major Victory for Animals

Bulgaria’s Parliament has approved a ban on fur farming⁠, moving to protect animals from being bred into a life of cruelty and confinement just to be killed for their pelts.

The final parliamentary vote on November 13, 2026, was unanimous, with all 173 votes in support of the bill. The legislation still awaits a presidential decree and publication in the State Gazette.

The legislation will prevent mink, foxes, chinchillas, raccoon dogs, and other animals from being farmed for their pelts. It is intended to keep the industry from returning to Bulgaria, where no fur farms have operated since the last registered American mink farm closed in early 2025.

“The bill banning fur farms is a major victory for animals. At CAAI, we have spent more than 10 years campaigning to ensure that animals can no longer be skinned solely for their fur. We are pleased that the voices of the citizens and civil society organisations supporting this bill have been heard and have received the full political backing of representatives from every parliamentary group,” said Petya Altimirska, chair of the Bulgarian animal protection group CAAI.

In 2018, CAAI brought a national citizens’ initiative backed by more than 51,000 signatures to Parliament. That effort was part of years of public campaigning to protect animals from the cruelty of being raised and killed solely for their fur.

“The fact is that this is the first bill in the current Parliament to have been backed by the signatures of all political parties. This is no coincidence, because work on the bill began years before the current Parliament,” said Bulgarian lawmaker Anton Kutev, one of the bill’s sponsors.

The suffering behind fur production has been at the heart of this campaign. CAAI has highlighted how cages deny animals the opportunity to express their natural behaviors⁠.

The legislation would address this cruelty, but gaps in protection would remain. Skins obtained as a by-product of food production and fur from animals killed through legal hunting⁠ would still be excluded from the ban.

Throughout Europe, governments have also taken steps to stop animals from being farmed for their fur. CAAI reports that 24 countries⁠ have either prohibited the practice or imposed conditions under which it can no longer continue.

Animals should never endure a lifetime of cruelty and confinement only to be killed for their pelts. Their lives are worth far more than their fur.