Fur farms continue to decrease according to the statistics published by the Finnish Fur Breeders’ Association FiFur. Less and less animals are bred in comparison to previous years.
In 2019 there were 865 fur farms in Finland, when the year before the number was 967. The total amount of fur farms have dropped about 10.5% in comparison to the previous year.
There is even a bigger decrease within FiFur member farms. In the end of 2019, FiFur only had 676 members, who had about 700 farms. In 2018, there were 763 members with 900 farms. There was a 22% drop in the amount of farms.
Exports are declining – less puppies are bred
The exports for fur continue to decline. The total amount of exports last year was 312 million euros when in the previous year it was 317 million euros. The value of the total fur industry exports was about only a half percent of Finnish exports. This number includes the furs produced in Finland and the furs sold through Finland even if they are produced elsewhere. In 2019 the net exports for fur was only 150 million euros.
In 2019 the fur farming industry employed only 1207 workers.
The amount of bred animals dropped in 2019. There were 7% less fox puppies born in Finland and 28% less mink puppies in comparison to the year before. 3.1 million animals were bred for fur farming in 2019 ( when in 2018 the amount was 3.46 million): 1.9 million foxes (1.93 million in 2018), 1.04 million minks (1.37 million in 2018) and 153 000 raccoon dogs (158 000 in 2018). This means less puppies were born in 2019 in comparison to 2018.
Fur auctions have reached an all time low
The fur industry has faced difficulties for a long time. The sales results at fur auctions have been low for years and the furs have been sold at very low prices. Also for the year 2020, the sales results have been low. In the June auction, only a tenth of the fox furs, a third of the raccoon dogs and 16% of mink furs were sold. . The industry is facing difficulties due to changes in attitudes towards fur.
74% of Finns are against fur farming. In addition, in the fashion industry, most fashion designers, high street brands and haute couture labels have ditched fur from their collections. Several countries have banned fur farming altogether due to ethical reasons and there are restrictions for import and export of furs in several parts of the world.
Photo: Annu Piensoho
References (each link will open in a new tab):
Fifur: Fifur tilastot 2020 (PDF)
Fifur: Fifur tilastot 2019 (PDF)
Saga Furs 7.7.2020. Saga Fursin huutokaupan tulos kertoo pandemiatilanteen vakavuudesta
Taloustutkimus 2019. Mielipiteet turkistarhauksesta 2019
