bostondotcom OP t1_itvymcx wrote on October 26, 2022 at 6:29 PM

Cambridge just became the fifth municipality in Massachusetts to ban the sale of fur within its community.

The ordinance, approved unanimously by the City Council at its meeting Monday night, will take effect Jan. 1, 2023, pending the approval of the state attorney general’s office.

In the ordinance, the City Council outlined some concerns about fur including risks to public health, environmental threats related to its production, and the roughly 100 million animals that are killed annually as part of the fur trade.

The ordinance also noted that although no stores in Cambridge currently sell fur, “nothing in our municipal code would prevent fur shops or sales."

The ban does have some exemptions including any used fur from secondhand stores, nonprofits, pawn shops, etc., and any “fur product used for traditional tribal, cultural, or spiritual purposes by a member of a federally recognized Native American tribe.”

The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals-Angell tweeted about the news, noting that Cambridge joins Wellesley, Weston, Brookline, and Plymouth, which have similar bans in place.

“People don’t realize how prevalent fur still is in winter clothing,” MSPCA advocacy specialist Elizabeth Magner said in a statement. “It’s used in the lining of coat hoods and even sometimes for the pompoms on hats. That’s why it’s important that cities and towns take steps like Cambridge has to ban fur.”