Fur farming

Subtopic: History
– Fur clothing for protection dates back to the Stone Age
– Furs, leathers, and hides sourced from farm animals like sheep, rabbits, and cattle
– Evidence of red fox breeding found in late Iron Age in Scotland
– Mink breeding for fur in North America started in the 1860s
– Fur trade played a significant economic role in the United States

Subtopic: Global Production
– European farmers produce most of the world’s farmed fur
– EU accounts for 63% of global mink production
– Top fur producers are Poland and China
– Denmark was a leading mink fur producer until 2020
– Finland is the largest US supplier of fox pelts

Subtopic: Bans on Fur Farming
– Fur farming banned in Austria, Croatia, and the UK
– Bans in the Czech Republic and the Netherlands
– Norway bans fur farming from February 2025
– Italy bans fur farming from June 2022
– Lithuania bans fur farming from 2027

Subtopic: Market and Trade
– US is a major exporter of fur skins
– Major export markets include China, Russia, and the EU
– Russia was the world’s biggest sales market for fur in 2012
– China is the largest importer of fur pelts
– China is also the largest exporter of finished fur products

Subtopic: Impact of COVID-19
– Minks are highly susceptible to human-mink infection
– Fears of mink farm outbreaks during the pandemic
– Several mink farms culled in the Netherlands and Spain
– Denmark culled its entire mink population due to COVID-19 mutation fears
– Kopenhagen Fur announced ceasing operations due to global fur trade challenges