Overview
- The FOI figures published Monday showed orders for the tall bearskin caps rose from 22 in 2024 to 96 in 2025, a more than fourfold increase reported by Peta.
- Procurement data indicate the Ministry of Defence spent more than £225,000 on the caps in 2025 and that the price per cap rose by about 8% compared with 2024.
- The MoD says it is buying only the minimum replacements needed for caps that have seen heavy use and has not announced any change in procurement policy.
- Campaigners say the purchases contradict Labour’s 2018 pledge to restrict fur imports and the party’s 2025 Defra animal‑welfare commitments, and they are urging Defence Minister Luke Pollard to require faux fur.
- Peta alleges the pelts come from Canada and describes harmful hunting practices that would create a market for the skins, a claim noted in coverage but not independently verified in the FOI documents.