Fur farming is the practice of breeding or raising certain types of animals for their fur.
The animal most commonly farmed for its fur is the mink. As of 2003, Denmark had the largest fur-farming industry of mink, with 35% of world production. Fur farming takes place mainly in Denmark, Finland, Norway and the Netherlands in Europe. China with its huge fur industry is the largest importer and re-exporter of fur in the world.
Fur farming is banned in Austria, Croatia (started on January 1, 2007, with a 10 year phase out period), and the United Kingdom. In Switzerland, the regulations for fur farming are very strict, with the result that there are no fur farms. Some other countries have a ban on fur farming of certain types of animals.
Demand fell in the late 1980s and 1990s because of a number of factors, including the failure of designers to come up with exciting new lines, and also the efforts of animal rights campaigners. Since the turn of the millennium, however, sales worldwide have soared to record highs, fuelled by radically new techniques for working with fur, and a sharp rise in disposable income in China and Russia. This growing demand has led to the development of extensive fur farming operations in countries such as China, where activist groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have raised concerns about inhumane treatment of animals and the nature of some slaughterhouse practices.
History
While wearing fur clothing in cold weather as protection goes back to the stone age, the source for this material came from the wild. As human populations grew, furs, leathers and hides for use in clothing came from farm stock such as sheep (sheepskin), rabbits, cattle, pigs and goats. The earliest records of breeding mink for fur in North America were in the 1860s. Foxes were first raised on farms for fur in PEI in Canada in 1895.
Historically, the fur trade played an important economic role in the United States. Fur trappers explored and opened up large parts of North America, and the fashion for beaver hats led to intense competition for supplies of raw materials. Starting in the latter half of the 20th century, producers and wearers of fur have been criticized because of the perceived cruelty involved in animal trapping and because the availability other natural and synthetic fibers (from oil) that competed with natural fiber furs.
Today, 85 percent of the fur industry's pelts come from animals raised on farms. The most farmed fur-bearing animal is the mink, followed by the fox. Finnish raccoon and chinchilla are also farmed for their fur. Sixty-four percent of fur farms are in Northern Europe, 11 percent are in North America, and the rest are dispersed throughout the world, in countries such as Argentina and Russia.
Various types
Mink
Mink have been farmed for fur in the United States for 130 years. In 2005, the U.S. ranked fourth in production behind Denmark, China and the Netherlands. Mink typically breed in March, and give birth to their litters in May. Farmers vaccinate the young kits for botulism, distemper, enteritis, and, if needed, pneumonia. They are harvested in late November and December. Methods for killing animals on fur farms, as on all farms, are detailed in the American Veterinary Medical Association's Report on Euthanasia which is used as a voluntary guideline for state departments of agriculture which have jurisdiction over all farms raising domesticated livestock, including mink.
Mink are bred once a year, the average litter is three or four kits. The best animals are kept for breeding stock for the next year and the remainder are killed for their pelts.
The white mink, a northern European breed, was introduced into Canada in 1968.
Chinchilla
The international trade in chinchilla fur goes back to the 1500s and the animal (whose name literally means "Little Chincha") is named after the Chincha people of the Andes, who wore its soft and dense fur. By the end of the 19th century, chinchillas had become quite rare. In 1923, Mathias F. Chapman brought the eleven wild chinchillas he had captured to the U.S. for breeding. Only three of these were female. Empress Chinchilla is the breeders association for the chinchilla farmers, many of whom are based in the United States, including California. Empress Chinchilla runs a certification program for farmers.
Fox
Finland is the world's leading producer of fox pelts. In the USA, fox production is about 10,000 pelts, produced in about 10 states. Wisconsin and Utah have the most and second most number of fur farms in the USA. Canada produces ten to fifteen times as many fox furs as the USA.
Dog and cat
Domesticated dog and cat meat and fur products would not be acceptable to consumers in many countries. The USA banned the import, export and sale of products made from dog and cat fur, in 2000, when undercover videos from the Swiss Animal Protection, PETA and the Humane Society International documented dogs and cats being trucked to market without food and water, pulled from their cages, disemboweled, bashed on the ground to stun them, then hung by wires, and skinned when still alive. Italy, France, Denmark, Greece, Belgium and Australia ban the practice, and the European Union ban took affect as of the January 1, 2009. However, many products made with dog or cat fur may be mislabeled, on purpose or accidentally.
Rabbit
The main breed in the rabbit fur farming industry, is the Rex (Castor Rex and Chinchilla Rex). Breeding animals are kept for up to 3 years, and usually give birth twice a year. The kindle are taken from their mothers at 4 weeks old to be put in a nursery with other kindle. After this the mothers are kept separated from their kits, and they get put together only for feeding. When the kits are 7 to 8 weeks old, they are put in solitary cages, where they are kept for ca 6-7 months, and are harvested after they have shed their winter fur. The rabbits are kept in bare wire mesh cages. A cage for one rabbit have the floor space of ca. two shoe boxes. The mortality rate for caged Rex is 10 - 15%, mostly from respiratory disease. Another breed of rabbit, is the Orylag, which is farmed only in France. The Orylag is bred for fur and meat. They are slaughtered at ca. 20 weeks. It was bred by the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA). The mortality rate for caged Orylag is 25 - 30%, mostly from respiratory disease. Broken bones and traumatic lesions are common when rabbits are transported to the slaughter. A small percent is also dead on arrival, often due to the rabbits being tightly packed in, with poor ventilation.
Controversy
Opponents of fur farming state that, as with other large scale animal farms, the methods used on fur factory farms are focused on maximizing profits rather on the physical or psychological welfare of the animals.
As with other types of large scale animal farming, living conditions of animals do vary and the extreme cases are ones of much contention. For example, according to PETA, some fur farmers pack animals into small cages, preventing them from taking more than a few steps back and forth. This crowding and confinement is extremely distressing to mink — solitary animals who may occupy as much as 2,500 acres (10 km²) of wetland habitat in the wild. Life in a cage leads minks to self-mutilate — biting at their skin, tails, and feet — and frantically pace and circle endlessly. Zoologists at Oxford University who studied captive mink found that, despite generations of being bred for fur, minks have not been domesticated and suffer greatly in captivity, especially if they are not given the opportunity to swim. Foxes and other animals suffer equally and have been found to cannibalize each other as a reaction to their crowded confinement.
In other cases, as with passing of animal welfare legislation in Italy, animals are required to be "given enriched living environments in which they can climb on branches, dig holes, use a nest of 50 × 50 cm and also have a water basin of at least 2 × 2 metres and 50 cm deep in which to swim." Farmers argue that 50 years ago, the animals were kept in large outdoor holding areas, with pools of water. However, such "far
LITIRA Fox Fur Hat (White) - 107.61USD(Approx.) : MARUI web channel ...
MARUI web channel International -Fashion direct from Tokyo- formerly MARUIONE.JP LITIRA Fox Fur Hat (White) - This fox fur hat will dress up any simple outfit easily! Sure to be a ...
White Fox Fur Collar
Genuine Fox Fur collar. One size fits all. This gorgeous Fox collar will enhance any jacket or coat. All you need to do is drape it over your shoulders and use the invisible fur ...
Fox Fur Coats - Blue Fox, Red Fox, White Fox Fur Coats
Fox Fur ★ Fur Coats, Blankets & Trim for sale ★ Buy Canadian Tanned Fur Pelts, Hides, and Fur Skins Shipped Worldwide from Canada.
FURCANADA - Skins Furs And Hides - Arctic White Fox
FURCANADA provides bear skin rugs, fur rugs, wildlife mounts, skulls and Arctic ivory and traditional Inuit hunters outfits. Ideal for country home and log cabin decor, taxidermy ...
White Fox Fur Headband
Premium quality authentic White fox fur headband. These White fox fur headbands feature an extra wide band of our finest dyed fox fur. The ends of the headband attach together ...
White Fox Fur Jacket, Shawl Collar Fox Jacket Coat, White Fox Fur ...
By Julia Heinen From Los Angeles I bought this coat in December and I just love it! It is more beautiful than I thought and looks simply elegant.
Item information * furoutlet.com: White Fox Fur Collar
Fur Coats! Top quality new & used furs for men and women - prices below wholesale! Custom work welcomed - we are the manufacturers!
Stunning Arctic White Fox & Coyote Fur Coat For Sale on TheFurCoatShop
Stunning and gorgeous! Warm and wonderful Chevron patterned Coyote fur accented with a tuxedo Arctic White Fox fur ... For sale in Donnington Wood, Shropshire
White Fox Fur Jacket, Shawl Collar Fox Jacket Coat, White Fox Fur ...
By Kevin From New Orleans Like some other customers, I was very skeptical of purchasing a mink coat on line. But, I purchased #74 for my wife's Christmas present and when the coat ...
Amazon.com: "white fox fur": Key Phrase page
Key Phrase page for white fox fur: Books containing the phrase white fox fur