Skinning the fur industry

27 July 2022

The fur industry in Europe may now be facing the same fate as the animals it farms: restricted conditions followed by certain death. Twelve EU Member States have established a full ban on fur farming, three a partial ban, while a further five are considering a ban.

The laggards include Finland and Poland, the EU countries with the highest number of fur farms. Unfortunately, they will likely only be prodded into managing the closure of these businesses by a full ban instituted at EU level across all 27 Member States. Which is why that’s our goal!

Farms on their back paws

Meanwhile in Denmark, following the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak on several hundred mink farms, the Danish government moved to offset the danger to people and other wild animals by instituting a temporary ban on farming and ordering a controversial cull of millions of animals. 

The WHO recently confirmed that the infection and spread of SARS-CoV-2 in animal populations could lead to the emergence of new variants that are then passed back to humans. Despite this warning and the Danish public health institute in May highlighting the continued risk of mink farms as potential virus reservoirs, the ban in the country is only due to last until the end of the year. 

Fortunately, the vast majority of Danish mink farmers have decided against restarting their operations: 1,243 chose the government compensation on offer for shutting down completely, while only 15 opted for a temporary suspension. 

This overwhelming choice strongly indicates that the fur industry has lost a lot of its enthusiasm for what is increasingly seen as an abjectly cruel business that forces inherently wild species to spend their lives in cramped cages, unable to enjoy any natural behaviour.

But, even if Denmark is playing a much smaller role in EU exports of mink and fox skins, these still amounted last year to 4,557 tonnes, with a value of €696,586,228. These numbers are thankfully way down from 2019, when the EU exported over 8,000 tonnes worth nearly a billion. The figures for 2022 will no doubt be even lower, but we are looking forward to 0 tonnes and €0. 

In 2019, there were 2,900 mink farms in the EU. Now, there are well under 800. The fur industry is definitely in decline, but we need to bring it to a definitive end. 

Scraping the fur off European shelves 

Farming is, however, only one side of the fur industry; the other is products including fur from beyond Europe, which are, astonishingly, still on sale in every Member State. This is why our European Citizens’ Initiative Fur Free Europe is not just seeking a ban on keeping and killing animals on fur farms, but also pushing for legislation to make it illegal for any farmed fur to be sold throughout the EU. 

From an animal welfare point of view it makes little difference where an animal is bred for fur, as intensive farming of fur species in wire mesh cages is similar worldwide. This part of the business is also on the decline: EU imports of mink fur amounted to over 800 tonnes in 2019 but decreased to just 200 tonnes in 2021. But again, we’d like to see those numbers drop to zero.

Banning the fur trade in the EU would make Europe a worldwide role model alongside a growing number of American cities and states that have put an end to fur sales. 

So join us in making a global difference by adding your signature to the campaign. Let’s bring relief to countless animals whose suffering cannot be quantified.

You could say it is a very, very welcome, FUR OUT; hopefully forever.

Check out our other recent post on this issue – :

England: Friend or Foe ? – Fur or Faux Fur. – World Animals Voice

Regards Mark

Fur is what you wear: click ‘watch on You Tube’ to view

Cats tread softly and gently. They can steal up on you without a sound. Before you know it, your feline friend is on your lap – wonderful. However, you may well not have noticed that sometimes it’s their fur which could be keeping your head or neck warm as hat, collar or hood trimmings, creeping up on the unwary consumer without the slightest hint of a meow. It is much less friendly.

Now, anything containing real cat or dog fur is already banned in the EU, or maybe it is better to say ‘officially it should be’. If you say ‘it is’ there will always be proof somewhere that ‘it is not’; so I tend to shy away from such statements usually. But regardless, products with fur from farmed mink, foxes, chinchillas and raccoon dogs are still ON the market. These additions are not necessarily advertised as such. Instead, they can be used by manufacturers to give low-cost garments a ‘high-end’ feel.

Please remember – It takes up to 40 dumb animals to die in making of a fur coat; but only one even dumber one to wear it for the sake of vanity.

Faux fur can be faking it

As activists and campaigners, you no doubt wouldn’t choose anything made of animal fur; it belongs on their back, not yours. But, while the price tag of a coat clearly indicates whether it’s a mink or a fink, it may well not alert you that the decoration on the bobble hat or hooded coat you’re looking at is not faux fur, but real fur.

This is why Fur Free Europe is not just seeking a ban on keeping and killing animals on fur farms, but also pushing for legislation to make it illegal for any farmed fur to be sold throughout the EU. That way, whenever a product takes your fancy, you’ll be sure it won’t contain anything that looked a lot fancier and in the right place – on its original owner. 

You will also be sure that you won’t be inadvertently supporting the abjectly cruel practice of forcing inherently wild species to spend their lives in cramped battery cages, unable to enjoy any natural behaviours. 

But there are also other issues which could arise from this .  If Europe does the bans, then for sure, we can see the Chinese attempting to flood the euro market with fur products which are produced using real fur and which have been produced under the most disgusting actions.  The importation of real fur from outside the EU, to be sold as faux within the EU is one issue that really has to be observed and monitored very closely.  Years ago I personally became involved with the EU when Russian seal pup fur was illegally making its way into the EU – dressed up and coloured to make the consumer think that it may not be ‘real fur’ that they were purchasing; but it was; fur of baby seals slaughtered in Russia.  (But the good news is after a lot of work, we stopped the Russian seal pup slaughter  – so, job done).

Think what we say about China fur cruelty is over the top ? – then watch this

Click on ‘Watch on You Tube’ for both below.

Now want more ?

Herding the EU cats

Despite widespread ethical concerns – a sensible majority of people in every EU country consider breeding animals for fur unacceptable, let alone the associated public health risks, many Member States still allow fur farming to continue. This time last year, twelve Member States called on the European Commission “to undertake appropriate action leading to the end of fur farming in Europe”. There has been some progress, but far more is needed.  You could say a global ban on fur production is needed; this probably will not happen (when we talk China), but real fur product imports from China for example into the EU under the guise of fake fur can be tested, controlled, and closely monitored before they even get here.  This is where ‘eurolegislators’ need to come out of their cages, AND ACT.  The Chinese need to be held to account for their abuses in the fur trade.

The European Citizens’ Initiative Fur Free Europe is working hard to obtain the backing of a million EU citizens. If this goal is reached, the European Commission will be obliged to respond and take action.

If you too want to “Leave Fur Behind” and see a ban on fur farms and farmed fur products, then add your signature to the campaign. 

Let’s make sure there is only ever friendly faux fur on that hat or hood. No doubt the cat will purr too.

Regards Mark

13 July 2022

Anima International released a new investigation from the biggest mink farm in Bulgaria, carried out between the autumn and winter of 2021. The footage reveals filthy and inadequate conditions, mink escaped from their cages, and animals suffering from serious untreated wounds.

The farm investigated is located in Madzehito, a small town on the outskirts of the town of Stara Zagora in central Bulgaria. It is the biggest mink farm in Bulgaria and houses over 100,000 animals.

Farm representatives also reported that the facility has been certified by Welfur, a certification programme which claims to ensure that farms provide adequate welfare standards for animals farmed for their skins.

The investigators documented animals in horrible conditions with wounds that seemingly have never been treated on their tails and backs. It seems as if no one inspected the animal health sufficiently, to provide proper treatment for animals in need. Some animals were found dead in their cages, their companions not being separated from them, nor their bodies removed by farm workers. What can be observed in the footage is a general state of neglect: broken cages with leftover food on them, cobwebs and filth below and above the cages, some animals running freely around the perimeter of the farm.

Anima International

On 1 June, the Bulgarian Minister of Environment and Water Borislav Sandov announced a ban on breeding or importing American Mink in Bulgaria, following concerns over threats to native biodiversity from escaped animals.

The investigation clearly revealed mink had escaped from their cages and were freely roaming the facility, illustrating the very real threat of animals escaping from the farm and damaging surrounding ecosystems.

Whilst this is a positive step forward in addressing the issues uncovered in the investigation, farms all over Europe continue to farm mink in poor conditions. The European Citizens’ Initiative Fur Free Europe is calling for a ban on fur farming across the European Union, as well as a ban on farmed fur products. 

Help us achieve a Fur Free Europe by adding your name now.

Regards Mark

Hi all;

Had this through from friend and animal buddy Mark (Glover) at Respect For Animals.

Have put this on the site as it is very important action against fur farming; and 1 Million signatures need to be obtained during the next year for EU action on this citizens initiative.  This can only be signed by citizens of the EU; so if you are one of them, please do it and pass on the link to all your contacts.

Please note –  ONLY EU CITIZENS can sign this – here is the citizens initiative / petition link:

Fur Free Europe | Eurogroup for Animals

ACT NOW FOR A FUR FREE EUROPE

Animals on fur farms live in intense confinement, in row upon row of small barren cages. They suffer from self-mutilation, infected wounds, missing limbs and cannibalism. Fur farming contravenes even the most basic concept of animal welfare.

The European Citizens’ Initiative “Fur Free Europe” calls on the EU to:

• Ban fur farms
• Ban farmed fur products from the European market

Be part of achieving history! 

Act now by adding your name to the Initiative.

This is not just a petition. Once we reach 1 million validated signatures, the European Commission is obliged to respond and take action.

Respect for Animals website –

Respect for Animals | Campaign against animal fur – Fur for Animals

Fur farming bans around the world – A Guide To Fur Bans Around The World | Respect for Animals – Impressive !

Regards Mark

2 June 2022

CAAI

News

Live mink can no longer be legally imported or bred in Bulgaria, following concerns over threats to native ecosystems and biodiversity from escaped animals.

On 1 June, the Bulgarian Minister of Environment and Water Borislav Sandov announced that he had signed the order to bring the ban into effect.

The decision was taken based on concerns over the environment and biodiversity, as the risk of American mink (Neovison vison) escaping from fur farms poses a serious threat to native species.

Conditions at the only mink farm in our country are unfavourable and are the reason that in recent years mink have escaped to enter territories of wildlife and cause damage.

Borislav Sandov, Minister of Environment and Water

The American mink is now widespread throughout the European Union and has caused significant adverse impacts on native wildlife, after individuals escaped from fur farms. 

According to the Ministry, the species is included in the list of 100 most dangerous invasive alien species in Europe and is a priority invasive alien species for Bulgaria.

We thank Minister Sandov for this really important and very useful decision for the nature of Bulgaria. This decision is based on scientific and expert data on the damage from the breeding of the species American mink. At the same time, it is a solution that will prevent huge damage to wildlife and end the suffering of millions of American minks that are bred for their fur in cruel conditions! It’s just a ban order, but it’s so important to nature and the animals.

Petya Altimirska, head of CAAI

Whilst this ban will effectively render mink farming impossible in Bulgaria, it does not cover other species commonly farmed for their fur such as foxes, chinchillas and raccoon dogs.

Our member CAAI is calling for a wider ban on the breeding and keeping of any species for the purpose of fur farming in the country. 

The European Citizens’ Initiative Fur Free Europe asks for a ban on all fur farming and the placement of farmed fur products in the European Union. 

Citizens are invited to add their signature here.

Regards Mark

Can only be signed by EU member state citizens – go here to sign if you are:

https://www.eurogroupforanimals.org/fur-free-europe

18 May 2022

Press Release

Eurogroup for Animals, along with its members and other organisations, today supported the launch of the European Citizens Initiative (ECI) Fur Free Europe: in one year they will have to collect one million signatures to finally end fur in Europe.

The Fur Free Europe ECI calls on the EU to ban fur farming and the placement on the market of farmed fur products, since fur is unethical, unsafe and unsustainable:

• The complex behavioural needs of wild animals cannot be met in fur farms: keeping them in small cages and killing them solely, or mainly, because of the value of their fur cannot be legitimised for domestic species either. 
• Fur farms pose a risk to animal and human health, as proved during the COVID-19 pandemic, when hundreds of mink farms were affected by coronavirus outbreaks, and new variants of the virus were transmitted from animals to humans.
• Fur farming has a significant environmental impact since the dressing and dyeing of fur involves the use of toxic chemicals. In terms of land pollution by toxic metals, fur production is ranked in the top five highest pollution-intensity industries. 

The fur industry also poses a serious threat to native biodiversity, with some farmed species, like American mink and raccoon dogs, which escaped from fur farms and are now considered Invasive Alien Species (IAS) causing significant adverse impacts on European native wildlife. 

At a meeting of the Council of the European Union (Agriculture and Fisheries) the Netherlands and Austria tabled an information note, supported by Belgium, Germany Luxembourg and Slovakia, calling on the European Commission to ban fur farming. The call to end fur farming in the EU on the grounds of animal welfare, public health and ethical considerations, was backed by a total of twelve Member States during the deliberations on this paper. 

The ECI Fur Free Europe was officially registered by the European Commission on 16/03/2022 and will run from 18/05/2022 for one year. 

We have an unprecedented opportunity to finally put an end to this cruel and unnecessary practice. European citizens have been asking for it for a long time, and their wishes started changing the fashion system, with many historic brands going fur free. Last year’s AGRIFISH Council proved that now there is also a political will. We call on the public to help us make history and ban fur once and for all, and on the European Institutions to support the public demand.

Reineke Hameleers, CEO, Eurogroup for Animals

Notes

The ECI Fur Free Europe  

The European Commission Implementing Decision on the Fur Free Europe ECI

More information on fur farming in Europe 

Recent news on fur farming

The 2021 request to end fur farming in the EU from Twelve Member States

Regards Mark

12 May 2022

Dyrenes Beskyttelse

The Statens Serum Institut has published their long-awaited health assessment regarding the reopening of Danish mink farms. The government of Denmark currently has a temporary ban on mink breeding in place until 2023 following a COVID-19 outbreak in several hundred mink farms, which resulted in the country’s entire mink population being culled.

The health risk assessment from the Statens Serum Institut was commissioned by the Minister of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Rasmus Prehn. In the report, the potential dangers to public health in various scenarios following the reopening of the mink industry in Denmark are assessed.

The report concludes that, in principle, public health is not in imminent danger, but variants of COVID-19 could arise in mink populations, resulting in viral “reservoirs” which vaccines may not effectively protect against. This scenario presents a high public health risk. 

Earlier this year the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and World Health Organisation (WHO) issued a joint statement confirming the risks of “animal reservoirs” of SARS-CoV-2. Farmed mink have been shown to be capable of infecting humans with the virus.

Although the probability of a new variant of concern is very low, why take the chance at all? Mink production will be reopened, where predators will be locked in small cages to use their fur. Why run a risk at all when there are so many good reasons not to take it.

Britta Riis, Director, Animal Protection Denmark

According to Animal Protection Denmark, mink breeders themselves have little incentive to continue production: only 15 mink breeders, about one percent, have chosen the dormancy scheme, where they can reopen their mink farms following the temporary ban. The remaining Danish mink breeders have chosen expropriation. 

1243 mink breeders have applied for compensation for shutting down their operations completely, while 15 have applied for the dormancy scheme. The latter may still change their decision and opt for expropriation until 21 December 2023. 

Animal Protection Denmark has long argued that mink production is unethical. The organisation points out that mink are active predators, which in the wild defend territories, often covering several kilometres and stretches of water. On mink farms, however, they spend their entire lives in very small and barren wire cages, where they are deprived of their basic natural behaviour.

Our past links relating to the Danish fur situation:

Search Results for “denmark fur” – World Animals Voice

Regards Mark