Norway has vowed to phase out all fur farms by 2025 in news that has simultaneously delighted animal-rights activists and angered breeders.
Norway's fur industry - consisting of approximately 200 fox and mink farms - currently produces around 1 million pelts a year.
The move is part of Conservative prime minister Erna Solberg's deal to broaden her two-party minority government by adding the anti-fur Liberal party, reports the Guardian.
For a country that was once the world's top producer of fox pelts (production peaked in 1939 when the country had around 20,000 farms), this is a huge step.
Animal-rights group Noah applauded the decision to ban what they view as an outdated and cruel business. 'We're very pleased,' said Noah leader Siri Martinsen.
Guri Wormdahl of the Norweigan Fur Breeders Association told the Guardian that Norway's fur farms employ around 400 people under strict rules for animal welfare.
'We're shocked, shaken to the core,' she said.
