The Finnish animal rights group, Oikeutta Elaimille (Justice for Animals), shared footage filmed in 2022 to Agence France-Presse (AFP) of deadly conditions animals have been facing in six different fur farms in Finland.
The footage reveals the conditions in which the foxes live, trapped inside small, wire mesh cages. In the video, they can be seen suffering from eye disease and infections in ears and tails, reported the Bangkok Post. The foxes were treated the opposite way of their natural behavioral needs.
“The conditions of the animals in these farms are downright appalling,” activist Kristo Muurimaa told AFP. This has put the Finnish fur industry to now be facing controversy.
The Finnish Fur Breeders’ Association FIFUR argued to AFP that the footage did not represent reality.
According to Bangkok Post, Olli-Pekka Nissinen, a spokesman for the association said:
“They (the film) give a completely false picture of fur farming, a one-sided sample.”
“In general, if a farm has five or ten thousand animals” there may “always be animals who have sudden eye infections or ear infections” that the producers treat,” and he also added that, “we are just like any other countryside livestock sector that deals with farm animals.”
Finland is the leading producer of certified fox fur in Europe. It is the second place in the world after China, therefore, the industry is quite crucial for employment, especially in rural areas.
