Fur farming refers to the breeding and raising of certain types of animals for their fur, primarily for their use in clothing and fashion. Production is concentrated in a relatively small number of countries. As of the 21st century, China has become one of the largest producers of farmed fur, while European countries have seen a decline due to regulatory changes.
Most of the world's farmed fur is produced by Chinese and Polish fur-farmers. In 2018, there were 5,000 fur farms in the EU, located across 22 countries; these areas of production collectively accounted for 50% of the global production of farmed fur. However, by 2025 only 6 countries in the EU still farmed animals for fur, and three of these countries had issued a legal ban on the activity, effective within several years. Prior to their banning of fur-farming in 2025, Poland lead the European mink fur-farming industry. Only five countries in Europe still participate in the practice of fur farming, those being Finland, Denmark, Spain, Hungary and Greece. The United States is a major exporter of fur skins. Major export markets include China, Russia, Canada, and the EU. Exports to Asia as a share of total exports grew from 22% in 1998 to 47% in 2002. As of 2012, Russia was reported to be the world's biggest sales market for fur. +CountryStatusYears EffectiveNoteUnited KingdomBan2000National BanMPs vote to ban fur farms . BBC News, 22 November 2000. Retrieved on 10 May 2012.Fur Farming (Prohibition) (Scotland) Act 2002 . legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved on 28 May 2012.AustriaBan2005Federal law; industry already defunctCharles Clover Europe kicks up a stink over British move to ban mink, Telegraph.co.uk, 13 May 1999Fur Farming Legislation Around The World, Infurmation.comSloveniaBan2015Nationwide BanCroatiaBan2018Nationwide BanFur Farmers Backed into a Corner, fashionFINLAND.com, 2 January 2007LuxembourgBan2018Nationwide BanCzech RepublicBan2019Nationwide BanNetherlands Ban2021Accelerated due to COVID-19IrelandBan2022Nationwide BanItalyBan2022Effective June 2022MaltaBan2022Nationwide BanBelgium Ban2023Nationwide BanSlovakia Ban2025Nationwide BanNorwayBan2025Effective February 2025Estonia Ban2025Transitional phase-out Lithuania Ban2027Gradual phase-out RomaniaBan2027Phase-out legislation LatviaBan2028Gradual Phase-outPolandBan2033Compensation programSwitzerlandDe facto ban -Strict welfare laws prevent farming GermanyDe facto ban -Strict welfare laws prevent farming DenmarkPartial ban2009Species-specific restrictions; industry declined after COVID-19 FrancePartial ban2020Species specific ban; phase-out ongoing HungaryPartial ban2021Species specific restrictions SpainPlanned phase-out2030Mink farming targeted PortugalNo industryCyprusNo industryJapanIndustry closed2016Last fur farm shut down. Demand fell in the late 1980s and 1990s as a result of a number of factors, including the efforts of animal rights campaigners and the failure of designers to come up with exciting new lines. Since the turn of the millennium, however, sales worldwide have soared to record highs, fueled by radically new techniques for working with fur, and a sharp rise in disposable income in China and Russia. This growing demand has led to the development of extensive fur farming operations in China and Poland.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, mink turned out to be very susceptible to human–mink infection, sparking fears of widespread outbreaks and mutations in the mink farm populations of many countries that could in turn infect humans with different strains of the coronavirus, making it potentially immune for a COVID-19 vaccine. Several mink farms in the Netherlands have been entirely culled since June 2020, and in August 2020 the phaseout of fur farming was accelerated from 1 January 2024 to 1 March 2021. In July 2020, Spain culled 100,000 mink. On 6 November 2020, Denmark announced it would cull its entire 17 million mink population as an emergency measure to prevent the spread of a mutated strain of COVID-19, of which at least five cases were found. On 11 November, the Netherlands again moved the phase-out forward, now putting 1 January 2021 as the target date to limit the risk of mutation. Kopenhagen Fur (accounting for 40% of mink production worldwide) announced mid-November it would gradually cease operations in 2–3 years because the circumstances had critically undermined the future of the global fur trade. COVID-19 and other illnesses continue to threaten the fur farming industry, and the fur farming trade itself is a part of a larger discussion on the potential for yet another pandemic.
Fur farming has faced criticism and increasing regulatory pressure due to animal welfare concerns. The recent 'Fur Free Europe' European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) gathered over 1.5 million validated signatures urging the EU to ban fur farming and the sale of farmed fur products. In response to the ECI, the European Commission tasked the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to provide an independent scientific opinion on the welfare of animals farmed for fur. The EFSA scientific opinion was published in July 2025 and concluded that the current cage systems of fur farming cannot meet the behavioral or welfare needs of mink, foxes, raccoon dogs and chinchilla.
History
While wearing fur clothing in cold weather as protection goes back to the Stone Age, the source for this material came from the wild. As human populations grew, furs, leathers, and hides for use in clothing came from farm stock, such as sheep (sheepskin), rabbits, cattle, pigs, and goats. Archaeologists have discovered evidence of red fox breeding in the late Iron Age on Orkney, off the northern coast of Scotland. After the attack of the Vikings in Scotland around 800 CE, the breeding is said to have stopped.An online note is available via WayBack Machine: Sigurd Towrie: Academics ponder Orkney's fox-farming past, in: Orkney Jar, 20 November 2006, based on: Journal of Archaeological Science Original references is: Winckelmann-Pelz-Report. Nr. 1814 vom 8th of Dezember, 2006 (German), based on the following sources: Daily Record and Scotland Mail, 27.th of November, 2006 eMail service of USA Fur Commission The earliest records of breeding mink for fur in North America were in the 1860s . Foxes were first raised on farms for fur in Prince Edward Island in Canada in 1895.
Historically, the fur trade played an important economic role in the United States. Fur trappers explored and opened up large parts of North America, and the fashion for beaver hats led to intense competition for the raw materials. Starting in the latter half of the 20th century, producers and wearers of fur have been criticized by animal rights activists because of the cruelty involved in animal trapping, and because of the widespread availability of inexpensive substitutes including natural fibers (such as cotton, hemp) as well as synthetic fibers. In 1991, New York Times journalist John F. Burns described the American fur industry as "shrinking with no end in sight."
Today, 85 percent of the fur clothing industry's pelts come from animals raised on farms. The rest is from animals caught in the wild. The most farmed fur-bearing animal is the mink (50 million annually), followed by the fox (about 4 million annually). Asiatic and Finnish raccoon and chinchilla are also farmed for their fur. As of 2008, 64 percent of fur farms were in Northern Europe, 11 percent in North America, and the rest were dispersed throughout the world, in countries such as Argentina and Russia.
Species
Mink
Mink have been farmed for fur in the United States for 130 years, though domestic demand for fur started to decline rapidly by the late 1980s. In 2010, the U.S. ranked fifth in production behind Denmark, China, the Netherlands, and Poland. Mink typically breed in March and give birth to their litters in May. Farmers vaccinate the young kits for botulism, distemper, enteritis, and, if needed, pneumonia. They are slaughtered in November and December. Methods for euthanizing animals on fur farms, as on all farms, are detailed in the American Veterinary Medical Association's Report on Euthanasia which is used as a guideline for state departments of agriculture which have jurisdiction over all farms raising domesticated livestock, including mink.Guidelines on Euthanasia . (PDF). avma.org. Retrieved on 4 December 2012.
The white mink, a northern European breed, was introduced into Canada in 1968. Most mink production in Canada occurs in Nova Scotia which, with 116 licensed farms in 2016, generated revenues of nearly $54 million by contributing approximately 1.4 million pelts to global markets. That accounted for an average of half of all Canada's mink pelts.Nova Scotia Mink Breeders Association. (2016). "Mink Farming: Quick Facts". Retrieved from https://nsmink.ca/index.php/mink-farming Production of black mink in particular has grown significantly since 2000, with emerging markets in Russia, China, and South Korea accounting for most of the new demand. Black mink was first bred in Nova Scotia in the late 1950s and has proven popular as a versatile colour.
Chinchilla
The international trade in chinchilla fur goes back to the 16th century and the animal (whose name literally means "Little Chincha") is named after the Chincha people of the Andes, who wore its soft, dense fur. By the end of the 19th century, chinchillas had become quite rare. In 1923, Mathias F. Chapman brought the eleven wild chinchillas he had captured to the U.S. for breeding. Only three of these were female. Empress Chinchilla is the breeders association for the chinchilla farmers, many of whom are based in the United States, including California. Empress Chinchilla runs a certification program for farmers..
Fox
In 2024 China was the largest producer of fox furs producing 4,050,000 pelts, while Finland was second with 303,000. Currently, there are 600 fur farms still operational in Finland, 90% of which are in Ostrobothnia.Present State and Future Prospects of Fur Farming in Finland - Eija Vinnari, 2023 -03 - 04
https://www.eurogroupforanimals.org/files/eurogroupforanimals/2023-03/2023-03-14-Present%20state%20and%20future%20prospects%20of%20fur%20farming%20in%20Finland.pdf In the United States, fox production is about 10,000 pelts, produced in about 10 states. Farmed foxes are typically bred for fur quality, body size, and specific color traits. The most common species are the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and the Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus).
Dog and cat The trade in dog and cate fur is prohibited in several major markets. In the United States, the Dog and Cat Protection Act of 2000 banned the import, export, and sale of products made from dog and cat fur in 2000.The trade in dog and cat fur, Happy Paws Italy, France, Denmark, Greece, Belgium, and Australia have likewise banned the import of domestic cat and dog fur but the sale is still quasi-legal. In most countries, novelty items made from farmed cat and dog fur is available in the form of animal toys or as trim on garments like boots, jackets and handbags. The European Union banned imports in 2009. Regulation (EC) No 1523/2007 prohibits the placing of cat and dog fur on the market, as well products containing cat and dog fur. The regulation took effect in 2008 and applies across all member states.
Rabbit