Badger hair shaving brushes are regularly found to be on sale in this country, but the hair itself comes from abroad.

Synthetic fibres have now replaced the hair in most brushes made today, but real badger hair is still imported legally into Britain, mainly from China, Japan and the Balkans. Many of these brushes also come from the USA where they have their own species of badger that can be lawfully hunted in some states and from France where badger digging and hunting is permitted under licence.

The RSPCA’s advice for any potential purchaser would be to ask the supplier where the brushes were made. Invariably, their production will have involved the killing of badgers, but some brushes have been found to be produced from the hair of other animals.

It is an offence to possess any part of a badger, living or dead, but this relates only to parts obtained from badgers native to this country.  It does not apply to parts from other badger species found overseas.

Our website has more information on badgers and the law.