HELSINKI, Finland, January 19 — Shocking footage showing fur-farmed foxes in Finland with weeping and swollen infected eyes and ears; injured and bloodied tails; and deformed, splayed feet has been released by animal protection groups Oikeutta eläimille and Humane Society International/Europe. The footage also shows obese “monster foxes” with huge skin folds from selective breeding and baby foxes cannibalising their dead siblings.

The footage exposes the suffering of animals for fur fashion, even in a country like Finland where the fur trade boasts that almost 100% of fox fur farms are certified by the fur trade’s SAGA Furs assurance scheme. The scheme promises “the highest level of animal welfare” but the atrocious conditions documented show a different story. Fox fur originating from Finland is used by brands including Fendi, Yves Salomon, Woolrich, Ermanno Scervino and Max Mara.

The exposé comes as more than 1.2 million EU citizens so far have signed the EU-wide “Fur-Free Europe” European Citizens’ Initiative petition calling on the European Commission to ban the farming and sale of fur in the EU. Finnish animal group Oikeutta eläimille filmed at six randomly selected fur farms in the Ostrobothnia region of western Finland between June and November 2022. OE’s Kristo Muurimaa said:

“The majority of Finns want to ban keeping animals in barren cages just for their fur, but our politicians have failed to bring an end to the cruelty. An EU-wide ban would help the animals also in other member countries, where the greed for money is valued over animal welfare.”

Dr Joanna Swabe, senior director of public affairs at Humane Society International/Europe, said:

“It is completely unacceptable that millions of animals continue to suffer terribly for fur fashion across Europe. As this latest footage from supposedly high-welfare fur farms in Finland clearly demonstrates, these animals are subjected to miserable lives in tiny cages. Fur farm conditions are so grim that most consumers want nothing to do with fur, as evidenced by the enormous support for our European Citizens’ Initiative to ban fur farming and trade across the EU. Fourteen EU member states are already leading the way by having banned fur farming, indeed only a small number of countries, including Finland, allow this practice to continue to take place, and now it’s time for an EU-wide ban to consign this cruel trade to the history books once and for all.”

Fur facts:

• More than 100 million animals are killed for their fur every year worldwide—that is equivalent to three animals dying every second, just for their fur.
• Fur farming has been banned in 19 European countries (14 of which are EU member states), including the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Slovenia, Luxembourg, Malta, Ireland, Estonia, France, Italy and most recently, on 22nd September 2022, Latvia. Political discussions on a ban are also underway in Romania, Lithuania, Spain and Poland. A further two countries (Switzerland and Germany) have implemented such strict regulations that fur farming has effectively ended, and three other countries (Denmark, Sweden and Hungary) have imposed measures that have ended the farming of certain species.
• An increasing number of fashion designers and retailers are dropping fur cruelty. In the last few years alone, Canada Goose, Oscar de la Renta, Valentino, Gucci, Burberry, Versace, Chanel, Prada and other high-profile brands have announced fur-free policies.
• The fur trade in Finland is in financial decline, with many fur farms closing down and some fur farmers in Europe diversifying or transitioning to other livelihoods such as solar panels, to secure their future.