Daily well-being and
Fur branch
Eco-products on a global scale
How can you tell, that the quality of the fur is the best possible? You can tell from that it comes from a Finnish fur farm where responsibility and quality of operations are top notch. The world’s finest fox skins come from us. The blue fox is the main product of the Finnish fur industry. In addition to blue and silver fox we grow minks and Finnraccoons on our farms.
We Finnish fur breeders are professionals; our animal populations are good, and the climate supports the breeding. When the quality of operations is good, the furs are desired. The pelts are produced on certified farms. When the pelts are packed for selling, we attach a bar code, which will tell the buyer that the pelt is from one of our farms.
Finland is a pioneer in certified fur breeding. What does certification mean? It is a quality system that emphasizes accountability, transparency, and documentation. The certified farm complies with applicable legislation. Animal health, animal welfare and breeding conditions are in order, as are feed, breeding and environmental management. Specific hygiene requirements on the farm have also been set. In addition, specific training and preparedness to deal with exceptional circumstances are required.
The fur produced in Finland is a globally known eco-product. Fur is a high-quality domestic commodity with genuine international demand.
In the autumn of 2018, 99.8% of foxes, 96.3% of minks and 100.0% of Finnraccoons were certified on the member farms of the Finnish Fur Breeders’ Association.
The breeder commits to ongoing documentation of operations, which helps to reinforce good practices and to identify deficiencies. The branch invests millions in animal welfare research.
Strong roots
Jobs keep the countryside alive and retain all the prerequisites for a good life. Many young people have their first summer job on a fur farm and return year after year – many remain permanently. Having grown up in a small community, it’s nice that you don’t have to leave to find work. You can stay in a familiar country setting with family, relatives and friends close by. This is not the case in all sparsely populated areas. It is safe to plan your life here in the long run. All of this means for us, above all, quality of life.
Important jobs
We also employ immigrants. Getting a job accelerates their integration and their language skills develop alongside it. We have the chance to get workers from different backgrounds. During the autumn tanning season, there is a particularly great need for seasonal workers in the fur industry.
There are many different sizes of fur farms in our region. They generate tax revenues to finance schools, day care centers, elderly care and many other important welfare services. The community remains vibrant and the municipality can provide services to its residents that would not have been possible without these tax revenues.
We strongly believe that when we breeders want to live and work in a sparsely populated area where employment is not self-evident, our example will encourage others and give confidence to the future of rural areas.
Fur farming also creates many jobs outside the industry. Feed production is one example of this. Feed kitchens are busy at the busiest time of the year when numerous fur farms need feed at the same time. Transporters have a lot of work to do when they transport feed raw materials from the fish and meat industries, feed and miscellaneous supplies for fur farms as well as pelts for sale. Fur farming also employs craftsmen in the production, design and sewing of fur garments.
In addition to its regional impact, the fur industry is also a national economy that employs and generates both export and tax revenues. Auctions that are arranged four times a year generate significant revenue, for example in the Helsinki Metropolitan area.