Fur-bearing animals: Norway is moving toward a ban on mink and fox farming

Norway has decided to phase out fur farming by 2025. Once the measure is adopted by the Norwegian Parliament, a plan to phase out the approximately 300 fur farms that exploit wild species will be implemented. Spanning seven years, the plan includes financial compensation for farmers forced to shut down their operations and find new livelihoods. The ultimate goal is the complete phase-out of this cruel and controversial industry in the country.   Last year, 773,000 minks and 140,000 foxes were killed on fur farms in Norway. Norway, one of Europe’s leading producers, has nevertheless decided to follow the example of the United Kingdom, Austria, Croatia, and the Netherlands—which have banned the exploitation of animals for their fur for several years—as well as Germany and the Czech Republic, which have done so more recently. More and more countries are thus succeeding in prioritizing animal welfare concerns over the interests of the fur industry . In Norway, this trade generates annual revenue of 36 to 52 million euros . NOAH, Norway’s leading animal protection association, has been fighting for 28 years to shut down fur farms. This is therefore a major victory for the association, led by veterinarian Siri Martinsen. The only downside is the seven-year transition period, which may seem quite long. According to the latest opinion polls, nearly 70% of Norwegians are now opposed to caging fur-bearing animals, a position shared by the Norwegian veterinary profession, which has long denounced the conditions under which wild species raised for their fur are kept and bred. Mink and foxes, crammed into cramped wire cages, are unable to express their natural behaviors and develop stress-related illnesses and stereotypic behaviors, before being, at best, gassed, and at worst, skinned alive. Norway can now, in turn, serve as an example for other European countries, such as Finland, which is one of the world’s largest producers of fox fur. Force-fed and obese, Arctic foxes raised on Finnish industrial farms pay a heavy price for the fur trade. Alongside bans on the farming of fur-bearing species, more and more major brands are now phasing out fur from their products, driven by changing consumer expectations regarding fashion, pressure from animal protection associations, and societal concerns about ethics and animal welfare.