Over the years, the public perception regarding wearing fur has shifted from high-status to cruel. This is reflected by iconic fashion brands, such as Stella McCartney, Calvin Klein, Giorgio Armani, Michael Kors, and Versace, pledging to discontinue the use of fur in their lines. Still, some brands and products continue to incorporate fur, and the industry continues to impact various species of animals as well as the environment.

The Industry

Every year, over 100 million minks, foxes, raccoon dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters and chinchillas are bred and killed on intensive farms for their fur, making up 85% of the fur trade [1]. This excludes the additional wild animals, such as coyotes and harp or hooded seals, who are hunted for their skin, which equates to over 3 million individuals in North America alone [2]. Other less common animals used for fur are squirrels, skunks, otters, leopards, lynx, wolves and beavers [3].

Australia has no domestic fur farms, meaning all fur used and sold is imported from Canada, the USA, Europe, China, Korea, Thailand, and the Philippines [4]. This also means that the animals in the industry are not covered by Australian animal welfare standards, and are subjected to a range of terrible conditions and practices. In saying this, some fur sold can come from wild animals who are caught and killed in Australia, such as rabbits, foxes, and kangaroos.

Demand

Fur is marketed as a high-end product, used in expensive labels such as Balenciaga, Chloe, Dior, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, and Alexander Wang – to name a few [5]. It is predominately used in outerwear, for entire coats, or as trims and even on shoes. More recently, mink has also wiggled its way into cosmetics and is used for false eyelashes.

Standards and Welfare Issues

The standards for fur farming vary in each country. The information below provides a brief summary of the standards and welfare issues that exist across the globe.

Farms

fur(1).jpg — Animals on fur farms are kept in elevated rows of barren wire cages, usually with multiple animals in a single cage [6]. These cages often offer no protection or hiding spaces, completely disregarding the natural behaviour of species to seek shelter and hide.
An undercover investigation by PETA on Chinese fur farms found that some cats and dogs had collars on, suggesting they were once beloved family companions who had been stolen [7].
*Credit: Jo-Anne McArthur*

Breeding

Many fur farms use artificial insemination to cross-breed animals [6]. Artificial insemination involves males being forced to ejaculate in order for a worker to collect their sperm, and females being held in place so that they can be impregnated.

Trapping

Wild animals, who make up 15% of the fur trade, are typically caught in steel-jaw traps, snares, or cages. Hunters do not check these traps daily, leaving the animals in excruciating pain, suffering from injury, dehydration and hunger. When the hunter does check the traps, the animals are callously shot, strangled, beaten, or stomped to death, to avoid “damaging” their fur and thus increasing the profit [9]. Animals caught in leg-hold traps have been noted to chew off their paws to escape and can suffer a slower death. One major issue is that countless non-target species can become accidentally trapped and die or are killed during the process [9].
Trapped coyote.
Credit: Nate Cline.

Slaughter Methods

Gas Chambers

Across Canada and Europe, animals who are farmed for their fur are rendered unconscious in gas chambers. This method uses carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide which is commonly channelled from the exhaust of a truck into a box containing the animals. Unfortunately, many animals remain conscious or regain consciousness while they are being skinned [8]. This can be especially prolonged and painful for minks who are diving animals and can hold their breath for a long time [8].
An undercover investigation on a Spanish mink farm by Animal Equality revealed workers throwing minks into a gassing box and their desperate and heartbreaking screams [10].
*Credit: EIA International*

Heart Attack by Electrocution

Larger animals, such as foxes, are killed by having an electric probe inserted into their mouths, anuses, and genital areas to trigger cardiac fibrillation. Research has shown that these animals remain conscious for 30 seconds during which they are forced to suffer a heart attack [8].
*Credit: PETA*

electrocution(1).jpg — Blunt Force Trauma

Both farmed and wild animals are subjected to bludgeoning. Animals on farms are captured by a pole with a clamp or noose which is placed around their necks, the workers often hold them suspended off the ground, before using a metal or wooden stick to repeatedly strike their heads. Alternatively, the worker may swing them head-first into the ground. Both are an attempt to stun the animal, however, many remain immobile but fully conscious [6].
*Credit: PETA Asia*

seal hunt.jpg — Blunt Force Trauma Cont.

In Canada and Greenland, harp and hooded seal pups are killed at just 3 months of age. Those who participate in the hunt use wooden clubs, large ice-picks, or guns to stun the animals. Guns are less common, as processing plants deduct a fee for bullet wounds [11]. A report conducted by veterinarians found that 42% of cases they studied showed there was not enough evidence of cranial injury to guarantee the animal was unconscious at the time of skinning [12, 13].

Cervical Dislocation

Some farms prefer use cervical dislocation for smaller animals, which is when they twist the neck of the animal until it breaks - this is preferred due to the theory that gassing can discolour the animal’s fur [8].

Skinning Alive

After they have been gassed, electrocuted, or bludgeoned the animals are then skinned – often while fully conscious. The animal is placed on their back or hung upside down by hooks on their legs, and a knife slices them open. Workers then pull the skin off of the animals’ body starting with their hind legs, all the way over their head [6].

Other Issues

From a consumer perspective, it can be incredibly difficult to tell the difference between faux-fur products, or those that are in fact real fur being sold as faux. Due to the number of animals being killed in China, it is actually cheaper in some instances to sell real fur as faux to producers [14]. Additionally, the globalisation of the fur industry has made it almost impossible for consumers to know where the products are coming from. Even if a clothing item is labelled as being made in Europe, for example, it is very possible that the fur has come from a Chinese fur farm. On top of this, there are no penalties for those who abuse animals on fur farms in China, which is the world’s largest fur exporter [15].

Undercover Investigation

Undercover investigators on Chinese farms observed a significant number of animals that were fully conscious during and after skinning, and they continued writhing and moving after. Workers were also seen using the handle of the knife to repeatedly beat the heads of the animals until they were motionless again. Animals were noted to be breathing, have heartbeats, and direction body and eyelid movements for up to 5-10 minutes after skinning [6].

Environmental impacts

Fur, leather, wool, cashmere, and feathers are often presented as more environmentally friendly options in comparison to faux items – but is this really true?

In addition to causing the suffering and death of billions of animals every single year, the production of these materials contributes to resource use, waste production and pollution, chemical pollution, and ultimately a loss of biodiversity. Despite what we are made to believe as consumers, there is little that is “natural” about the clothing made from the skin or fur of animals.

Waste, Pollution, and Chemical Use

In addition to being resource-intensive, any form of animal farming is responsible for waste production and pollution. Waste comes in the form of animal manure, dropped food, lost fur and feathers, as well as unused body parts after processing [62, 63]. We also have to factor in the production of their food, transportation, electricity for housing, slaughter facilities, and waste from the slaughter process. Farming animals and their feed also requires the use of pesticides, vaccines, and antibiotics, which pollute the environment and can create antibiotic-resistant disease [64].

Material items also have the added issue of chemical use during the processing phase, and thus contributes to chemical pollution. This is because after an animal has been slaughtered, his or her skin must be treated with toxic chemicals to prevent it from rotting and decomposing [65].

To preserve and dye the fur, harmful synthetic chemicals like ammonia, formaldehyde, and hydrogen peroxide are used [66]. The use of these chemicals leads to dangerously high levels of water contamination and also results in the products being non-biodegradable. The hazardous process of fur dressing is so problematic that the World Bank has ranked the fur industry as one of the world’s five worst industries for toxic metal pollution [67].

Health Impacts

Farming animals for their fur not only affects the animals and the environment, it also impacts humans.

Slaughterhouse workers

Mental Illness

Working in a slaughterhouse has proven to potentially cause severe mental illnesses due to the harsh working environment and physical requirements. Workers are expected to kill hundreds to thousands of animals every hour, at high speeds in cold conditions, doing the exact same thing over and over again, with very few breaks. Studies conducted all over the world have found that workers have high levels of anxiety, anger, hostility and psychoticism. They also can suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, Perpetration-Induced Traumatic Stress (PITS), and violent dreams, with many workers seeking treatment similar to that used to help war veterans [72, 73, 74, 75]. Symptoms of PITS include depression, paranoia, panic and dissociation [76].

Physical Issues

The intense noise in the slaughterhouse can result in noise-induced hearing loss [78]. Due to the processing of meat, extreme temperatures are needed, and this greatly increases the risks of frostbite and hypothermia [79]. Workers also commonly suffer from upper limb work-related musculoskeletal disorders [80]. Exposure to harsh chemicals and bacteria, viruses, fungi and ectoparasites can cause serious diseases [81].

What’s Next

“Cruelty is a fashion statement we can all do without”.
Rue McClanahan

If we work together as consumers, and choose to purchase more ethical alternatives to fur, we can help end the cruel fur industry. The range of alternatives that are currently available not only save the lives of animals, but can also lower our environmental footprint and reduce human suffering!

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