Fast Facts

• Is well regulated under international, national or regional laws and guidelines.
• Is an established, natural part of the agricultural sector in many countries.
• Provides high standards of care for animal health and animal welfare.
• Is a valuable link in the food and recycling chain.
• Provides an efficient use of 647,000 tonnes of animal by-products each year from the fishing and meat industries in the EU alone.
• Provides manure for organic fertiliser.
• Mink provides fat for hypoallergenic soaps and hair products.

• Represents about 15% of the world's trade in fur.
• National and international regulations ensure that only nature's surplus enters the fur trade each year.
• No endangered species are used.
• Trapping is highly regulated.
• An international Agreement is in place between the EU and the main wild fur producing countries to ensure that only the most humane trapping systems are used.

• Over 1 million people are employed full-time in the fur trade worldwide.
• Fur sales worldwide totalled some US$ 11.7 billion in 2003/04.
• Nearly 117,000 enterprises exist worldwide ñ retailers, dressers, brokers, etc.
• In Denmark, fur farming was worth Euro 514 million in 2002, the countryís third largest export after bacon and cheese.
• In Finland, the annual fur production value is Euro 250 million, greater than that of beef, with over 50% of fur farmers relying on fur farming as their sole source of income.
• In Canada, the fur trade contributes Can$ 800 million to the Canadian economy, employing over 75,000 Canadians in total.
• In USA, the value of the fur industry at retail level was US$ 1.8 billion in 2003/4. There are more than 100 manufacturers of fur garments and nearly 1,400 retail outlets of finished fur garments.
• Hong Kong is the worldís largest importer of farmed fur skins and remains the leading exporter of fur garments to the value of more than US$ 320 million annually.
• In Russia, the value of the fur trade is over US$ 2.5 billion, contributing around 0.6% ñ 0.8% of the turnover of all consumer goods.
• In the UK, fur brokers are responsible for buying the majority of the worldís fur traded at raw or wholesale level, with a turnover of some US$ 750 million per annum.

• Over the last 20 years, the IFTF alone has contributed more than US$ 5 million in support of a wide range of animal welfare and conservation projects.
• The European fur sector and national governments spent over Euro 1.6 million in 1999 on fur farming research.
• European fur farmers helped to establish the Fur Animal Welfare Research Committee (FAWRC) in 1999, which reports to the Council of Europeís Standing Committee on farm animal welfare.
• The European Fur Breeders Association (EFBA) has its own Code of Practice, which incorporates the Council of Europe recommendations, with its own further ìbest practiceî.
• North American fur breeders have Codes of Practice that include recommended methods of care from birth to death of mink and foxes.
• The IFTF is a voting member of the World Conservation Union and supports the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

• In the USA, 86% of Americans support an individualís freedom to choose whether to wear fur. (1996)
• 69% of Finnish people have a positive attitude to fur farming. (1998)
• In the UK, 62% of people consider that it is environmentally sound to use natural fibres such as wool, silk, fur and leather. (2000)
• 71% of Dutch people agree with the statement, ìit makes in principle no difference for what reason you keep animals as long as you take care of their welfareî. (2000)
• 67% of Dutch people believe individuals should have a free choice to wear fur. (2000)
• 67% of Scottish people strongly agree with the statement ìin principle, I find it acceptable that animals are kept on farms for any purpose, provided there is good animal welfare.î (2001)
• 68% of Canadians know that the fur trade helps to support the livelihoods and cultures of people living in close harmony with the land. (2001)
• In Norway, two thirds of people support fur farming (Sentio Norsk statistikk/Nationen). (2003)