Investigation into fur farms in Finland 2011: One action

PHOTO | Turkistarhaus

Finnish animal rights organization Oikeutta Eläimille has published a new thorough investigation into the fur industry in Finland.

The investigation team visited 80 fur farms between spring and winter 2010. What they found is shocking: foxes with missing legs, puppies eating their dead siblings, terrible gashes, injuries, stereotypical behavior, cannibalism, lame animals, severe eye infections, gum infections, rotting corpses riddled with worms left in cages with living animals, the list goes on. This investigation is the most complete insight into the Finnish fur industry ever done.

Over 30 % of the investigated farms are certified. Certification is administered by farmers themselves to improve their public relations image. They claim this guarantees animal welfare.

In reality, the certified farms has the exact same problems as the uncertified farms. Sometimes even worse. One certified farm was visited by the investigation team three times in three months, where they documented that some of the animals, ill and with severe gum infection, were left untreated for the entire time.

Over 90 % of all farms investigated had animals with eye infections. Many of the animals could not even open their eyes. More than half of the farms had animals with ear injuries. Over 30 % of the farms had animals with open wounds.


RELATED | Video: Investigation into fur farms in Finland 2011, English captions

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RELATED | Tutkimus turkistarhoilta 2011

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Wounds and other injuries are very shocking. But the worst suffering is not so easy to see. Wild animals are kept in small cages for the whole of their short lives, without any possibility to act according to their natural behavior. This causes stress and mental suffering for the animals. These problems cannot be fixed with official inspections or control. Fox farming has already been banned for example in Sweden, because the law demanded that foxes should be able to dig and live in social groups, says Anne Nieminen from Oikeutta Eläimille.

The unethical treatment of animals on Finnish fur farms was brought to public attention as early as a year ago, when Oikeutta Eläimille published a similar investigation, showing the conditions on 32 farms. The situation has not improved over the year, despite the claims of the industry – quite the opposite. The investigations reveal that suffering, injuries and stereotypical behavior are an inseparable part of the fur industry, and a direct consequence of the conditions of the cage.

This industry, which crossly violates animal welfare, has already been condemned by the public. Now we need concrete action from politicians and from the people, so that we can get an end to this cruel practice, says Anne Nieminen.

Oikeutta Eläimille demands a full ban on fur farming.

Investigation includes fur farms from 35 municipalities from all around Finland. Most of the documented farms are from the western part of Finland where most of the farms are located.



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PETITION TEXT | Click HERE for petition

Fur farming be banned!

We the undersigned call on a ban on fur farming in Finland by law. Alaa fur and animal welfare can never be reconciled.

The right to Animals Association in February 2010, announced by the artwork seems intolerably ubiquitous fur 32 Finnish the farm. The pictures show the sick and injured animals as well as virikkeettömiä cramped cages. Compound test animals it is impossible to take the natural needs.

Fur farming is banned in its present form completely or partially, including Sweden, Denmark, Great Britain, Croatia, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

Finland is high time to join the fur countries, bans the group!

For more information and footage from tarhauskielto.fi

Please also click on and take action: Urge Louis Vuitton to go fur-free: Two Actions



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i struggle to find words to express
as i see these faces and their distress
i sit here stunned by anger and grief
that anyone could do this, beyond belief
the industry of fur must be forever banned
in every nation, in every land
if man found himself exploited this way
i am sure he would have a lot to say!!!!

Karen Lyons Kalmenson