Facts and figures

• Most farmed fur, which accounts for 80%-85% of the global fur trade, comes from Europe and North America. The largest producers in the EU are Denmark, Finland, Netherlands and Poland.
• Fur farming is regulated according to national, agricultural and environmental standards, EU directives and professional codes of conduct and guidelines.
• In the EU, European fur farmers abide by a European code of practice which incorporates the revised Council of Europe Recommendation on the keeping of fur animals.
• Fur farming plays a valuable role in the recycling chain by making efficient use of the animal by-products of the fish and poultry industries.  Each year over one million tonnes of these by-products are used in the EU alone.
• Wild fur accounts for 15%-20% of the global fur trade, with Canada, Russia and USA as the main suppliers.
• Wild fur production helps maintain natural eco-systems and the economies of hundreds of remote communities around the world.
• The majority of wild species used by the fur trade are taken as part of wild life management programmes, necessary for the maintenance of biodiversity, healthy eco-systems, population and disease control. The wild species taken are abundant.

For more information about International and European fur farming, please visit the IFTF website and the European Fur Breeders Association (EFBA) website.