California has become the first US state to ban the sale and manufacture of new fur products.

On Saturday, California’s governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law to prohibit residents from making or selling items such as clothing, shoes or handbags made of fur.

The bill, which will go into effect in 2023, was applauded by animal rights advocacy groups, who have long been pushing for a ban on fur.

Bans on fur have already been put in place in some California cities, including Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Mr Newsom also signed another bill into law on Saturday to ban most animals from circuses, similar to laws in place in New Jersey and Hawaii.

The reality of fur farming: in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 The reality of fur farming: in pictures The reality of fur farming: in pictures A fox at a fur farm in Pushkino, Russia AFP/Getty The reality of fur farming: in pictures Black and silver mink kits in a small cage at a fur farm in British Columbia, Canada, 2014 Jo-Anne McArthur / #MakeFurHistory The reality of fur farming: in pictures A black mink chewing at the bars of their cage at a fur farm in British Columbia, Canada, 2014 Jo-Anne McArthur / #MakeFurHistory The reality of fur farming: in pictures Mink kits lying atop a dead mink in a nesting box at a fur farm in Sweden, 2010 Jo-Anne McArthur / Djurrattsalliansen The reality of fur farming: in pictures Mink crammed into a filthy cage at a fur farm in Quebec, Canada, 2014 Jo-Anne McArthur / #MakeFurHistory The reality of fur farming: in pictures Injured mink kits at a fur farm in Sweden, 2010 Jo-Anne McArthur / Djurrattsalliansen The reality of fur farming: in pictures "No leg". Mink farm in British Columbia, Canada, 2014 Jo-Anne McArthur / #MakeFurHistory The reality of fur farming: in pictures A mink in small cage at a fur farm in British Columbia, Canada, 2014 Jo-Anne McArthur / #MakeFurHistory The reality of fur farming: in pictures Orylag rabbits at a fur farm in Vandre, France AFP/Getty The reality of fur farming: in pictures Mink living in cages over piles of feces at a fur farm in Sweden, 2010 Jo-Anne McArthur / Djurrattsalliansen The reality of fur farming: in pictures An employee carries a blue fox at a fur farm near Babino, a village in Belarus AFP/Getty The reality of fur farming: in pictures Fox cubs at a fur farm in Zhangjiakou, in China's Hebei province AFP/Getty The reality of fur farming: in pictures An employee carries a blue fox at a fur farm near Lesino, a village in Belarus AFP/Getty The reality of fur farming: in pictures Several mink, silver and albino, crammed into a filthy cage at a fur farm in Quebec, Canada, 2014 Jo-Anne McArthur / #MakeFurHistory The reality of fur farming: in pictures Rows of filthy mink cages at a fur farm in Quebec, 2010. On a tip that the animals were being treated poorly, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the SPCA were granted a warrant to perform an inspection and seize animals from a fur farm in Quebec. They rescued and re-homed several animals, but had to euthanize many that were too sick, old, injured, dehydrated and starving. This seizure led to the first ever criminal charges against a fur farmer in Canada Jo-Anne McArthur / #MakeFurHistory The reality of fur farming: in pictures Pile of dead mink on old, broken cages behind a fur farm in Sweden, 2010 Jo-Anne McArthur / Djurrattsalliansen The reality of fur farming: in pictures A mink feeds off a dead fellow in a filthy cage at a fur farm in Quebec, Canada, 2014. Mink are solitary animals who fight, cannibalise and kill when in cramped confinement like this Jo-Anne McArthur / #MakeFurHistory The reality of fur farming: in pictures Aerial view of a large fur farms in Nova Scotia, Canada Nova Scotia, Canada, 2014 Jo-Anne McArthur / #MakeFurHistory The reality of fur farming: in pictures Mink kits crammed in to a small cage at a fur farm in Sweden, 2010. The paper notes that there were ten in this cage and now two have died; eight remain Jo-Anne McArthur / Djurrattsalliansen The reality of fur farming: in pictures Aerial view of a large fur farms in Nova Scotia, Canada Aerial view of a large fur farms in Nova Scotia, Canada, 2014 Jo-Anne McArthur / #MakeFurHistory

Despite opposition from the billion-dollar fur industry, and a threat to sue by the Fur Information Council of America, Mr Newsom said the state is a “leader when it comes to animal welfare”.

“California is a leader when it comes to animal welfare, and today that leadership includes banning the sale of fur,” the governor said in a statement.

“But we are doing more than that. We are making a statement to the world that beautiful wild animals like bears and tigers have no place on trapeze wires or jumping through flames.”

The ban excludes fur worn for religious or tribal purposes, and used fur. It also does not apply to leather, cowhides, stuffed animals and the full skin of deer, sheep and goats, according to the SF Chronicle.

Under the new law, violators could face up to $500 (£400) fines, with fines up to $1,000 for repeat violations. Fines can apply to each product sold.

Kitty Block, the chief executive and president of the Humane Society of the United States said in a statement: “The signing of AB44 underscores the point that today’s consumers simply don’t want wild animals to suffer extreme pain and fear for the sake of fashion.”

However, a spokesperson for the Fur Information Council said the group sees the law as an attack on choice.

In a statement, the spokesperson said the new law is part of a “radical vegan agenda using fur as the first step to other bans on what we wear and eat”.

The ban comes after numerous fashion designers have announced they would stop working with animal fur, including Versace, Gucci and Giorgio Armani.

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