Starbucks

Fur Farming

Many centuries ago fur was the only fabric which protected people from snow and wind. Years have passed, and fur has now become a luxury good which is highly valued. Breeding and raising animals for their fur is still popular. In addition to beauty and style, fur provides warmth, which used to make coats irreplaceable in regions with the cold climate. Nevertheless, as the population rises, the number of killed animals is enormous. So the necessity of fur farming has been called into question. Today fur substitutes and synthetic materials have entered the fashion world and brought society to a new era, where artificial fabrics can be just as warm and stylish. Many factories now produce waterproof, warm and comfortable hats, jackets and pants using synthetic fillings. These outfits are designed for alpinists, fishermen and people that live or work in places like Siberia where the temperature can reach -71o C ( "Ð -Ð Ñ'Ð *Ð Ð...СЊ РІ Ð ÐŽÐ Ñ'Ð ±Ð Ñ'СЂРÑ' [Life in Siberia]" 3 ). Thus, since synthetics can be warm enough to protect people from icy weather, there is no need to slaughter animals for their fur.

First of all, the market of fur trade is stable, hence making fur farming a very profitable business. According to the International Fur Trade Organization, the total number of fur farms in Russia is 150, whereas in North America it is 1,135, and in the European Union - 6,000 ( Socio-Economic Impact of International Fur Farming 9 ). These statistics illustrate that pelt production is rising, so the industry tends to consolidate. According to the United States International Trade Commission, the dominant fur skin producers nowadays are Denmark, Russia, the USA, China, Finland, and the Netherlands ( Steller 23 ). Only in the USA fur skin exports brought to the American budget $172.6 million in 2002 ( Steller 5 ). This example shows that fur farming has an important contribution to the economy. Also in order to produce a pelt a whole network of farmers is needed. As the International Fur Trade Organization states: “Employment in the U.S. fur skin industry occurs primarily in family-run operations. Many of the farmers and their families perform much of the day-to-day labor required during the breeding and the harvesting seasons.”( Socio-Economic Impact of International Fur Farming 1 ). It means that a declining labor demand in the fur business could leave thousands of workers without an income.

Along with economic benefits, fur became popular because of the fashion industry, which has a great influence on social trends. Fashion is a phenomenon that makes people follow and imitate the created stereotype: either negative or positive. The image of luxurious clothing comes from films and fashion runways where the glamorous lifestyles of celebrities go together with beautiful fur outfits and garments. Due to innovations in design and manufacturing, the natural fabric has become an essential material in many fashion collections of famous designers. New dying and cutting techniques allow creating a much broader range of products which appeal to consumers. According to the Fur Information Council of America, nowadays fur is the choice of more than 400 designers all over the world, including Dolce & Gabbana and Calvin Klein. ( Fur Information Council of America ). Moreover, when various fashion seminars present new textiles and materials, as well as promoting animal pelts. Thus, the demand of fur continues to increase because of the strong advertising and association with glamour and wealth.

However, if one looks at the issue of fur farming from the moral point of view, the outcome would be absolutely different. Even though fur trade is one of the oldest businesses, the people who kill wildlife to obtain its fur have a questionable morality in an age where fur is no longer necessary. However, there is an increasing role of mistreatment of animals by humans in the modern society. According to the book “Earth’s Ethics,” most humans promote their own interests, which require a sacrifice of the most important interests of other species. ( Singer 38 ). For example, it is stated in the book that most human beings are ready to cause pain to animals when they would not cause the same pain to humans, and that wild life does have neither thoughts, nor emotions ( Singer 40 ). Lord Brain, a member of the Committee on Cruelty to Wild Animals, gives a scientific proof that the animals’ nervous system is similar to ours. As a result, different behavioral signs and external indicators, such as moaning, initial rise of blood pressure, dilated pupils, and increased pulse rate appear when pain is felt ( Singer 45).

Due to the nature of fur farming, it is necessary not to spoil the pelt, so animals face different means of suffering. According to the animal rights defender, the PETA Media Center, the living creatures face extreme suffering because they are packed in small cages. ( People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals ). In order to preserve the fur, trappers use various methods of slaughtering. For instance, farmers use carbon monoxide to gas animals, which first makes them unconscious and then kills them. Furthermore, millions of minks, chinchillas, and foxes are killed through electrical shocks or strangled in farms. According to the Animals Rights Center in Moscow, in order to make one average size fur coat farmers use 100-125 squirrels, 55 minks, 170 chinchillas, 18 foxes, 8 seals ( Ð ¦Ð µÐ Ð...тр Ð *Ð oС‰Ð Ñ'ты Ð Ñ--СЂРoРІ Ð ¶Ð Ñ'РІРÑ*С‚Ð Ð...С‹Ð¡... Ð 'Ð ?РўРÑ' [Animals Rights Center VITA] ). The number of killed animals is enormous, especially when thousands of coats are being produced annually.

As a response to the fur farming activities, animal rights activists promote cruelty free campaigns throughout the world. The largest organization is the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), with more than 1.8 million members in it. The main goal of the institution is to educate the public about cruelty to animals, organize protest campaigns, as well as providing special events, such as celebrity involvement in anti-fur advertisings. In addition, it helps to investigate and promote artificial materials and promote fur substitutes. For instance, in 2007 PETA gave nearly $760,000 to scientists who are developing alternatives to animals’ fur (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals ). As a fact, almost every country has animal rights supporting organizations: the Massachusetts Animal Rights Coalition and the Anti Fur Society in the USA, , the Alliance for Animal Rights