Fur farming | EPFL Graph Search

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Fur farming is the practice of breeding or raising certain types of animals for their fur. Most of the world's farmed fur is produced by European farmers. In 2018, there were 5,000 fur farms in the EU, all located across 22 countries; these areas of production collectively accounted for 50% of the global production of farmed fur. The EU accounts for 63% of global mink production and 70% of fox production. Denmark was the leading mink-producing country, accounting for approximately 28% of world production. The top three fur producers are Denmark (formerly), Poland and China. Finland is the largest United States supplier of fox pelts. 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. China has been the world's largest importer of fur pelts and the largest exporter of finished fur products. Fur farming is banned in Austria, Croatia, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands (effective March 2021), Norway (effective February 2025) and Italy (effective June 2022). In Switzerland, the regulations for fur farming are very strict, with the result that there are no fur farms. Some other countries have a ban on fur farming of certain types of animals. 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.

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Fur farming