Written question asked by Lord Corbett of Castle Vale (Labour), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Astor of Hever (Conservative) on Monday, 14 February 2011.

Armed Forces: Ceremonial Fur Headwear

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made on identifying a suitable faux fur alternative to Canadian black bear fur to provide ceremonial headwear for the Household Division’s five Foot Guard Regiments.

Answer: The Ministry of Defence (MoD) adopts a neutral position on the use of real fur in ceremonial clothing and the department is entirely open to the use of faux fur where this provides a suitable and affordable alternative. However, in the case of bearskins, no alternative has yet been identified that matches the impressive properties and visual appearance of black bear fur. My honourable friend the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology (Peter Luff) met with representatives from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in July 2010 where he agreed to the MoD testing samples of a synthetic fur identified by PETA as a possible alternative. The department stands ready to proceed with this work once suitable samples are available.

Secondary information