I’ve been waiting a long time to write this.

13 years ago we first started revealing the horror of fur farming in Poland. Fast forward to Dec 2025, following more than a decade of public outcry and relentless campaigning from our team in Poland, the President has officially signed into law a ban on fur farming.

Yes. Banned. Europe’s biggest fur producing country (and the second biggest in the world!) has this week said: enough is enough.

On December 2nd, President Karol Nawrocki signed the bill that will finally end this cruel industry. From now, no new fur farms can be built and all existing farms must close by 2033. A full national phase out.

When signing the bill, President Nawrocki said something I think all of us will remember:

“Over two thirds of Poles, including rural residents, support a ban on fur farming; this voice cannot be ignored.”

This is one of the most significant victories for animals in years. And it was made possible by us. Ordinary people, who refused to turn away and give up on the animals who are suffering on fur farms.

Ending fur farming globally – why this ban matters 

Poland has long been one of Europe’s fur giants. 

What is fur farming?

Behind the high fences are rows of wire cages stretching out like a maze. Inside them, millions of foxes, minks or raccoon dogs living their whole lives on metal. They pace in tight, frantic circles. As predators, they bite each other. They stare out through the bars. They gnaw at the steel grates. The foxes are anally electrocuted to death. Minks are gassed in gas chambers. Every year, hundreds of thousands are killed for their fur.

And now it is ending in Poland.

No more cages stacked in freezing sheds. No more shrieks and yelps echoing down the rows. No more stench of waste and rot drifting over nearby homes. No more foxes wearing circles into the floor of their pens. No more minks gnawing the metal grates.

A chapter of cruelty that lasted generations is finally being closed.

Poland is now the 23rd European country to ban fur farming. The largest fur producer on the continent has decided this industry has no future. This alone would be historic, but the timing makes it even more important.

Next year the European Union will decide whether to introduce an EU-wide ban on fur farming and fur imports. Poland’s decision sends a powerful message. It shows that ending fur farming is not only possible, but popular, achievable and long overdue.

Earlier this year the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded that fur farms cannot be operated in a way that meets animal welfare standards. The science, the public, and now one of the biggest producing nations are all aligned. Change is gathering momentum.

For us, this victory is also a reminder of something important. We are making progress, step by step. What we, as animal advocates do, year after year, adds up. Like watering a seed. For a long time nothing seems to grow. Nothing seems to change. But beneath the surface the roots are forming. Through persistence and hard work, a sprout finally appears, and a flower blooms.

Thirteen years of relentless work


For those who follow our work closely, here is what it truly took to reach this moment.

The first investigation happened in 2012. A tiny team of advocates with borrowed cameras and barely any money decided to shine a light on an industry most people never saw. They travelled across Poland, entering fur farms, documenting the cages, the filth, the fear. That first footage caused a national scandal. People were stunned. No one realised this cruelty was happening just down the road.

From there, the work only grew. Over the years we carried out more than 25 investigations, uncovering the same suffering again and again. Injured animals were rescued whenever possible in cooperation with authorities. Several farms were shut down. Thirteen farmers and workers were convicted for animal cruelty or mistreatment.

And while the team exposed cruelty, the public rose with them. We organised more than 100 protests in cities, towns and villages. Students, families, pensioners, farmers, people from every walk of life, stood together to demand change and to end the horrific treatment of animals.

Politicians tried six times to pass a ban. Six attempts. Six failures. But with each rejection we learn more and adjust our strategy accordingly. 

And finally, after more than a decade of public pressure, heartbreak and hope, the seventh attempt succeeded. That small group of friends who joined forces in 2012 took on a Goliath, and won.  

A personal moment I’ll never forget

Almost eight years ago, before Open Cages became what it is today, I travelled to Poland to meet the advocates who are now my colleagues and close friends. I joined them on one of my first fur farm investigations.

I’ll never forget that experience. The smell of faeces from the filthy cages. The noise, neverending screams and yelping. The animals themselves. Foxes and minks running in circles. Mentally broken.

Seeing their suffering changed me. It strengthened my decision to dedicate my life to helping animals. To stand here today, a decade later, and watch this ban finally become real… it’s an emotional experience that’s hard to put into words.

What’s next

Poland’s decision doesn’t just close the door on fur farming within its own borders, it changes the landscape for everyone. Next year, the European Union will decide whether to introduce an EU-wide ban on fur farming and imports. One of the biggest fur-producing nations standing up and saying “no more” sends a message Brussels can’t ignore.

And here in the UK, we can’t get comfortable. Twenty-five years after banning fur farming at home, we still allow fur to be imported and sold on our high streets. The cages may be gone from Britain, but the cruelty continues in our supply chains. If the rest of Europe is moving towards a future without fur, the UK should be leading that progress. 

Click here to learn more about the campaign for a #FurFreeBritain. This next year will shape the future of fur globally. The momentum is with us. But momentum only matters if we keep speaking up.

To everyone who has protested in the rain, who has written to MPs, who has shared investigations, who has stood outside Parliament, who has refused to look away, thank you. You are the reason fur farming is being relegated to the history books.

Your persistence, your compassion, your refusal to let this cruelty stay hidden… it has brought us to this moment.

Poland’s victory is not the end. It is a turning point. A seed that has finally broken the surface. Years of work, persistence, and courage have brought us here. Now with care, determination, and continued action, it can grow into something far bigger… a world where no animal is killed for their fur.

Connor