Fur farming
[4] Denmark was also leading, accounting for approximately 28% of world mink fur production, until its government culled all of the farmers' stocks without legal authority in 2020.
[23] [24][better source needed] Demand fell in the late 1980s and 1990s as a result of a number of factors, including the efforts of animal rights campaigners and the failure of designers to come up with exciting new lines.
Since the turn of the millennium, however, sales worldwide have soared to record highs, fueled by radically new techniques for working with fur, and a sharp rise in disposable income in China and Russia.
[25] On 6 November 2020, Denmark announced it would cull its entire 17 million mink population as an emergency to prevent the spread of a mutated strain of COVID-19, of which at least five cases were found.
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.
Fur trappers explored and opened up large parts of North America, and the fashion for beaver hats led to intense competition for the raw materials.
[39] Italy, France, Denmark, Greece, Belgium, and Australia ban the import of domestic cat and dog fur but the sale is still quasi-legal.
[40] In most countries, novelty items made from farmed cat and dog fur is available in the form of animal toys or as trim on garments like boots, jackets and handbags.
Mink are a monoestrous species that undergo delayed implantation when bred successfully, this means that the breeding season can be the most strenuous time of year both in terms of animal nutrition and human labor.
A feeding program that encourages the removal of excess weight and an environment that facilitates an increase in exercise is important for good production and a successful whelp.
[46] Breeding records are kept for each individual mink, this includes information on the dates of mating, genetics involving family lineage, reproductive success, health status, and fur characteristics.
Females can lose significant body condition during lactation so their health is monitored by visual observations of behavior, appearance, and feed consumption.
[citation needed] Mink are carefully evaluated in November or early December in order to physically assess their coat color, characteristics, and quality.
[53] The meat from most fur-bearers is not usually eaten by humans, therefore the carcasses will go on to become various products such as pet food, animal feed, organic compost, fertilizer, paint, and even tires.
Some biological supply companies offer preserved skinned carcasses of ranched mink for classroom dissection specimens as an alternative to cats or other domesticated mammals.
[66] The mink breeders association of Ontario responded by offering a hundred thousand dollar bounty leading to a conviction of the persons responsible.
[80][81] On 21 November 2014, the Estonian animal advocacy organization Loomus submitted a petition to ban fur farming in the country with a 10-year transition period with 10 000 signatures to the parliament.
[93] The commission is expected to formulate their opinion and vote whether the petition would move on to a law drafting phase and public discussion in the full quorum of the parliament in the fall of 2016.
The Finnish Furbreeders Association has developed its own national program of certification and animal health welfare that is tied to the ISO 9001 standard and monitored by the Det Norske Veritas.
[citation needed] The Humane Society of the United States published videos in 2019 and 2021 showing minks with untreated wounds along with foxes with allegedly deformed feet, missing ears, or diseased eyes on the farms.
The government will also compensate redundancy payments for farm workers and cover costs related to the demolition of buildings, the destruction of equipment and waste management.
[108] Animal welfare groups welcomed such proposals,[109] though concern was highlighted, in terms of its impact on rural communities where alternative industries are scarce.
[106] A ban was subsequently passed before being overturned by Minister for Agriculture at the time Simon Coveney of Fine Gael after the party formed a new government following the 2011 election.
A renewed campaign and efforts to push the Irish government or current Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed to re-implement a phase-out ban took place from 2018 to 2019.
[114] PETA published a video in 2019 alleging that animals were "still suffering terribly" in Russian fur farms, with slaughter methods involving beating, decapitation while conscious, and prolonged electrocution.
The government was not planning any culling as of 9 November 2020, but animal rights group Djurens Rätt was advocating for one in order to minimise the risk of a mutation that could compromise a COVID-19 vaccine.
[124] On 10 November, the process was put on hold due to political opposition, which argued that there was not enough scientific evidence yet whether the new virus variant was dangerous and thus whether the culling was necessary, given the loss of livelihood for fur farmers it would result in.
[126] After the testing report was completed, Minister Schouten in early June that 10 mink farms in Brabant and Limburg had to be culled to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
This decision was taken on the advice of the Outbreak Management Team (OMT) when more and more of the around 130 remaining mink farms were infected by COVID-19, necessitating containment of the spread and a clear perspective for a sector that, by then, had lost its economic viability and political support.
[18] On 11 November, the Dutch government, on the advice of the OMT, decided to bring forward the phase-out again in order to limit the risk of mutation, with 1 January 2021 as the new target date.
