Boudicca

 

Venexiana

Key facts

About the British Fur Trade Association (BFTA)
• British Fur Trade Association (BFTA) fur trader members buy pelts at international auction and are responsible for buying a significant share of fur (as pelts) traded on the world market. The trade is worth some £400-£500million a year to the UK.

General
• Fur Buyers attend international auctions all round the world, particularly in Denmark and Finland which are major fur producers. More information on fur farming

• Members of the British Fur Trade Association include traders, wholesalers, manufacturers and a number of fur retailers across the UK. The retailers offer various products and services including designer collections, made to measure garments, remodelling of existing garments, cold storage of fur items through the summer months, garment cleaning and valuations.

Fashion designers
• The world’s leading fashion designers along with many new and young designers are continuing to use fur in their collections.
• Around 400 international designers are currently using fur. These include: Fendi, Dolce & Gabbana, Jean Paul Gaultier, Jonathan Saunders, Amanda Wakeley, Christopher Kane, Aimee McWilliams, Nicole Farhi, Erdem, Kristian Aadnevik, Roksanda Ilincic
• For more information on designers please visit: www.fur-style.com
• BFTA retail members have reported that fur sales of full fur garments, fur trim combinations and accessories for 2005/2006 are up by nearly a quarter from the previous year
• As well as traditional full-length mink coats fur is now available in many lightweight garments and also as a trim on other garments – these types of garments appeal to the younger market.

World-wide fur sales:   
2007 US $ 15 billion     

EU only fur sales:    
2007 US $ 5 billion       

Farmed fur
The British Fur Trade Association (BFTA) is a member of the International Fur Trade Federation (IFTF).  The IFTF promotes strict codes of practice that meet or exceed established and accepted animal welfare standards for wild and farmed fur. The BFTA and IFTF strongly condemn cruelty to animals.

Fur Farming in Northern Europe and North America
• Most of the farmed fur on the international market is from Northern Europe and North America
• Research spending on fur animals and fur farms in four of the main producing countries – Denmark, Finland, Norway and Holland – exceeded Euro 1.73m in 2000, of which State universities and research establishments accounted for 54%
• Fur farming is well regulated by national laws and guidelines and provides an employment lifeline in many rural communities
• Fur farmers adopt the highest standards of care; housing, health and animal welfare are in the forefront of scientific research to ensure that standards continue to be raised.
• Fur farmed animals form part of an ‘eco-chain’. They are fed a by-product of the fish and meat industries. Fur farmed animals give economic value to the waste of the fish and meat processing industries.
• 85% of the world’s fur originates from farmed species.
• For more info. visit www.efba.com

EFBA/IFTF Publication: The Socio Economic Impact of European Fur Farming

IFTF Publication: The Socio Economic Impact of International Fur Farming

Wild-fur
• Wild-fur bearing animals are a natural resource, which have long provided food and clothing for man.
• Wildlife management is the responsibility of governments, often implemented at local, provincial or regional level. In North America, for example, a number of techniques and regulations are applied to ensure the conservation of species and their habitat.
• An overpopulation of any species creates an ecological imbalance with widespread effects. Wildlife populations typically produce more offspring than the habitat can support on an annual basis. Without careful management, a number of problems can occur:

Example of problems
• Impact on animals – An increase in numbers can put a strain on the available food and can lead to stress and starvation
• Flooding – Muskrats undermine dykes, as is the case in Belgium and Holland where trappers are paid by government to control numbers
• Land management – In the USA, recent studies by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation have estimated that beaver dams cause in excess of $6 million in damages annually by flooding land, blocking drainage channels and by washing away roads, railways and bridges when dams fail; in the USA as a whole beaver damage costs $1.5 billion annually.
• Disease and pest control – Management prevents the build-up of disease that can be transmitted to domestic animals and/or humans. Lyme disease, giardia, round worms, mange, distemper and rabies are some examples of disease carried by wildlife.

The BFTA and the International Fur Trade Federation support CITES (The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) which acts to regulate commercial trade in threatened or endangered species. The international fur trade does not handle endangered species.

• The majority of wild species that enter the fur trade are taken for pest/predator control or wildlife management reasons.
• Governments are involved in humane trap research.
• The IFTF actively encourages and provides funding for humane trap research and development.

Sustainability
• Sustainability is the principle of managing the use of the earth’s natural resources by not allowing them to deplete or deteriorate.
• This principle underpins many of the world’s conservation strategies, encouraging the responsible use of nature’s surplus, while safeguarding the environment.
• Wild fur-bearing animals are a natural resource, which has long provided food and clothing for man.
• Fur farmed animals form part of an ‘eco-chain’. They are fed a by-product of the fish and meat industries. Fur farmed animals give economic value to the waste of the fish and meat processing industries.
• Wild fur trade sustains communities.
• Today the fur trade helps to support the traditional lifestyles and cultural values of many aboriginal Canadians, Alaskans, ‘Cajun’ Lousianans, Siberians, Namibians and Afghans who live in regions hostile to most agricultural activities.  Participation in the fur trade allows them to maintain and reinforce their traditional lifestyle and cultural values.
• The Karakul sheep is believed to be one of the oldest breeds of domesticated sheep in the world. Originally from the steppes of Turkistan, this broadtailed sheep (so called because of the reserves of fat stored in its tail) gradually spread to other regions of Central Asia.
• The breed is named after the village Karakul, which lies in the former emirate of Bokhara (now Uzbekistan).
• Today Karakul sheep are farmed predominantly in Afghanistan, central Asian republics of the former Soviet Union and Namibia. They are possibly the only animals that can survive the harsh, arid conditions of these regions while providing both a source of food and income to local people.

BFTA Fur Labelling Initiative
• BFTA (British Fur Trade Association) has introduced a fur labelling scheme, as have other European members of the IFTF (International Fur Trade Federation).
• The initiative will ensure that all fur items offered for sale by members of the scheme, will be labelled with the individual fur species in English along with its scientific Latin name. For more info. BFTA fur labelling

Origin Assured

The international fur trade is introducing a new consumer assurance programme as part of its commitment to openness and transparency

The Origin Assured (OA) label will inform consumers that their fur or fur product comes from a country where national or local regulations or standards governing fur production are in force.

•  The label was introduced at auction in December 2006 (for trade buyers) and will be piloted to consumers through retail stores during the Autumn/Winter 2007 season, with the aim of wider availability for the 2008 season.
 
For further information please visit www.originassured.com

Endangered species
• The use of wild species for fur is strictly controlled, both nationally and internationally
• The BFTA and the International Fur Trade Federation support CITES (The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) which acts to regulate commercial trade in threatened or endangered species. The international fur trade does not handle endangered species.
• Animal Health which is an Executive Agency of the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (defra) regulates the trade in endangered species. 

Animal rights groups
Animal rights groups are entitled to their opinion but many people do not share this opinion and it is certainly not reflected in the rising global demand for fur.
• Regrettably, not everyone understands the difference between animal welfare, which has the full commitment of our sector, and animal rights, which seeks to ban every animal use by man, whether for food, medical or scientific research, clothing or companionship.