Sharon Osbourne recently wrote to Croatia's minister of agriculture, Davor Romić, to ask that he completely bans fur farming. 

The country is set to ban fur farming on 1 January 2017, but this is under revision because of a proposed exception for fur taken from chinchillas. In the letter, for which Osbourne teamed up with PETA, she urges everyone to avoid wearing real fur:

"I used to wear fur but had a change of heart after learning about how terribly animals suffer in the fur industry. As you can see in this exposé that I recently narrated for PETA, chinchillas are often confined to tiny, filthy cages before workers snap their necks or electrocute them. "Toe-to-ear" electrocution immobilises chinchillas but leaves them conscious as they experience all the pain and agony of a full-blown heart attack. As on most fur farms, the animals seen in this exposé were denied veterinary care, and the owner of the farm even splinted broken bones and amputated limbs without anaesthetics."

"There is so much suffering inherent in the fur industry – and all just for a silly fashion statement. Fur farmers have had 10 years to make the transition out of this cruel trade, and 1 January 2017 is a date to look forward to. Please take a stand against horrific cruelty to animals and use your influence to spread a message of compassion. You'd gain the respect of many animal lovers all over the world, like my family and me."

"There is so much suffering inherent in the fur industry – and all just for a silly fashion statement. Fur farmers have had 10 years to make the transition out of this cruel trade, and 1 January 2017 is a date to look forward to. Please take a stand against horrific cruelty to animals and use your influence to spread a message of compassion. You'd gain the respect of many animal lovers all over the world, like my family and me."

Follow us: @Pressparty on Twitter / Pressparty on Facebook. 

Watch Osbourne talking about the fur trade here: