Europe’s 1,000 active fur farms are facing further calls for full or partial bans. The EU’s mink, fox and racoon dog farms maintain approximately eight million animals. The trade remains lucrative, but political pressure is rising.
According to the European Commission, the majority of member states already have full or partial bans on fur farming, with those continuing the trade arguing that “an EU ban on fur farming would be disproportionate and have a negative economic impact, especially on vulnerable, rural communities.”
As winter approaches and we reach for warmer layers, our furry friends begin to sport a more fluffy look, too – and just as the hair is beginning to grow over the ears of American Minks bred in Europe, they become ripe for slaughter, ready to be stripped of their skins, harvested for the fur trade.
Alien species list
As unwelcome as the American Mink is in Europe, it’s on many European countries’ banned alien species lists – it’s a sorry demise for a small animal introduced to the continent because of European desire to wear pelts for fashion and their fur for false eyelashes.
“From an ethical perspective, keeping and killing animals purely for the purpose of fur production is unacceptable when there are many good, beautiful, warm alternatives to it,” says Jo Swabe, senior director of public affairs at Humane Society International/Europe (HSI).
Those lucky enough to escape the cruel conditions of their captivity have become a pest in Europe as they are ‘bigger, more aggressive, and more of a generalist, making it a strong competitor for resources and territory’ for the European mink.
Member States which have banned fur farming are Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Slovakia, Slovenia and more recently Romania – a decision which gives HIS confidence the momentum for an EU-wide ban is underway.
Landmark moment
“[The] decision to ban fur farming is not only a landmark moment for animal protection in Romania but also a pivotal step in the broader European effort to end one of the cruellest forms of exploitation of animals,” said Ruud Tombrock, executive director for HSI/Europe.
Switzerland and Germany have implemented strict regulations effectively ending fur farming, whereas Denmark, Sweden and Hungary have imposed measures that have ended the farming of certain species. There is talk of bans in Bulgaria and Sweden, but Poland and Finland remain high producers of fur, Poland being the largest mink producer.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, mink became a potential risk for the spread of a mutation of the virus, leading to hundreds of thousands being culled in fur farms across Europe.
Adding animals to the alien species list in some countries has not been enough to save them from the fur trade – Finland, for example, where American mink and racoon dogs are on the list, still uses them for fur farming.
The legislation reads… “In exceptional cases, for reasons of compelling public interest, including those of a social or economic nature, Member States may issue permits allowing establishments to carry out activities other than those set out in Article 8(1) subject to authorisation by the Commission (…).” The ambiguity of ‘exceptional cases’ has opened a gaping hole in the legislation.
Commercial interests
“I think it’s a positive thing if they’re listed,” says Swabe, “However, because of the series of derogations that were added to the legislation at the behest of the fur industry, fur production can still continue. This is also something that was very frustrating the first time around.”
“They lobbied to get that included in the legislation, and then they went on to oppose any efforts to list species that are commercially interesting to the fur industry, so let’s hope this time round that doesn’t happen.”
She added: “But it still doesn’t preclude fur farming from happening if authorisations are granted. From an animal welfare perspective, it is problematic though because programmes to effectively try to eradicate mink would have to be implemented, which would effectively involve trapping and killing them.”
Bans, imports, prosecutions
In Bulgaria, in 2022, when the Minister of Environment and Waters issued an order banning the import and breeding of American mink, a large mink fur farm appealed the order. It lost but was found operating a farm from which over 100 mink had escaped.
The animals caged in fur farms are covered by EU rules on the protection of animals kept for farming purposes, but there are currently no specific regulations covering welfare in fur farms, and the HSI don’t encourage it, it just wants to irradiate the industry. Environmentally, it has cause for concern, too.
“The fur industry likes to portray fur as a really natural product, but once it’s off the animal’s back, it has to undergo a huge amount of processing in order to be made suitable to have any kind of longevity.”
“There’s also a huge amount of transport miles that are involved in sending pelts to auction for processing, getting them tanned, and then getting them sent back for manufacture into garments. So, you know, a pelt can essentially travel all around the world. Fur production is environmentally also very damaging,” says Swabe.
The Commission is currently assessing the feasibility of a ban on fur farming and the marketing of fur in the EU, stating that: “Based on scientific advice from EFSA by March 2025 and further evaluation, the Commission will communicate by March 2026 if it considers appropriate to propose a ban, after a transition period. The Commission will also consider whether to take other measures to ensure the welfare of farmed fur animals.”
Swabe remarked: “Can we really risk having an industry, which is not supported by the majority of citizens in the EU, as is clear not just from the European Citizens Initiative, but also from all of the opinion polling research on fur farming that’s been done over the years, given the potential threat that it poses to both human and animal health, its impact on native biodiversity and the massive negative impact on animal welfare itself?”
“Not taking action on fur farming is something that would be very injudicious, and, to be frank, it’s a dying industry, it’s an industry that’s already in serious decline,” she added.
[Edited By Brian Maguire | Euractiv’s Advocacy Lab ]