2 September 2024

Animalia

Oikeutta eläimille / We Animals Media

In Finland, one of Europe’s major fur producing countries, farms are downsizing and closing at a rapid rate. Over the last 5 years, mink production has declined by 50%, whilst fox farming has collapsed even more sharply at 68%.

New statistics on 2023 from the Finnish Fur Breeders’ Association, analysed by Animalia, have confirmed that the industry is in a steep decline.

In 2023, there was only one mink farm producing more than 10,000 pelts, compared to 11 such farms the previous year. There were six fox farms producing more than 10,000 pelts, compared to 8 in 2022, and 20 in 2019. Most mink are raised on farms producing fewer than 500 pelts annually, indicating that mink farming is a side business. Foxes, on the other hand, are mostly raised on farms with 3,000–10,000 animals.

22% fewer foxes and 4% fewer mink were born on fur farms. Over the last 5 years, mink production has declined by 50%, whilst fox farming has dropped by 68%.

The actual number of furs produced last year is significantly lower than expected from the rate of births, as nearly half a million fur animals were culled and destroyed in the autumn of 2023 due to avian influenza.

The few remaining farms are not financially viable. The average sale price of blue fox pelts was down 13% from the previous year. The production cost of a fox pelt currently exceeds the sales profit, and results in a loss of up to 50 euros per animal for the farmer. The average price of a mink pelt also declined by 2% from the previous year. 

Following the mass culling of mink on Finnish fur farms due a bird flu outbreak in 2023, farmers received over 50 million euros of public funds in compensation, increasing scrutiny over the industry’s economic value.

Employment provided by the industry has halved in five years, undermining the social argument for propping up production. 

In an opinion poll conducted by Animalia and Oikeutta Eläimille in 2023, 83% of Finns believed that fur farming should either be banned or that animals should be given significantly more space and opportunities to engage in species-specific behaviour. 

The new statistics support the argument for a Fur Free Europe, as proposed by the successful European Citizens’ Initiative.

Regards Mark