A recent survey commissioned by two Finnish animal rights organisations, Animalia and Oikeutta eläimille, found that 80% of Fins opposed the current fur farming system where animals are kept in cages (10% more than last year). Young people aged 15-24 and women were among those who opposed the practice the most. However, 30% said fur farming should continue if animal welfare improvements were made, and 16% said there was no need for any improvement.
A previous poll conducted by the Finnish Fur Breeders in April 2022 claimed that half of those surveyed supported certified domestic fur farming, and in an attempt to sell the idea that fur is a natural product better than the “unnatural” fake furs, they found that most fins were very or fairly positive about the use of natural materials in clothing.
Finland has about 1000 fur farms — 95% of which are on the west coast — which kill about four million animals every year, generating up to €400 million in revenue. The country is the world’s biggest producer of fox skins and the only EU country where it is legal to breed Finnraccoon (or racoon dog) since the European Commission granted an exemption in 2019. But this may end soon because there are several the EU citizens’ initiatives, like the “End the Cage Age” and “Fur Free Europe”, which aim for a total ban in the EU. Other EU countries have already imposed their own national bans on fur farming, such as the UK, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Latvia and Malta, and others have approved bans that will be enacted in a few years, such as Latvia or Estonia. If you want to know more about the campaigns to stop the use of fur you can visit Vegan FTA’s webpage about animals used for fashion.
