At Parliament Opening, Queen Unveils Bill to Ban Fur Farming

Fur farming in Britain would be outlawed and wildlife given greater protection under a bill announced by Queen Elizabeth II at the ceremonial opening of Parliament on Wednesday.

The Fur Farming Bill would prohibit the farming of animals that are kept solely to be slaughtered for their fur.

At the opening ceremony, magnificent pageantry remained, but most of the aristocrats were missing days after the Labor Party government stripped hereditary peers of their centuries-old right to be lawmakers.

Lifetime peers, most of them former politicians given titles by prime ministers, sat swathed in fur-trimmed scarlet robes as the queen read out the government’s legislative program in the House of Lords, the nonelected upper chamber.

Crammed in among other members of the elected House of Commons, Prime Minister Tony Blair stood silently at the back of the chamber as the queen outlined a 28-bill program for the coming year.

The fur farming ban would affect 13 mink farms in England, holding between 50,000 and 100,000 animals, according to an animal rights group, Respect for Animals.

British agriculture officials said the government intends to phase out the farms and offer compensation.

“Obviously, we’re thrilled--not for us, but for what it means to the animals,” Mark Glover of Respect for Animals said. “We’re hoping the government will take a lead in Europe and try to extend the ban throughout the European Union.”

But the European Fur Breeders’ Assn. remains strongly opposed.

Calling a ban “unjustified,” Wim Verhagen, association chairman, said: “The fur sector is well regulated, and fur farming is recognized in law as part of European agriculture.”