Kept in small wire cages, fear of humans and the restriction to exhibit natural behaviours causes animals on fur farms to exhibit a high number of stress-related animal welfare problems. Numerous scientific reports have indicated that serious health problems are inherent to fur production and that animals on all fur farms have been found to exhibit health issues as:
‘…infected wounds, missing limbs from biting incidents, eye infections, bent feet, mouth deformities, self-mutilation, cannibalism of dead siblings or offspring and other stress-related stereotypical behaviour.’
Stereotypical behavior, as a result of stress, occurs on all fur farms and is expressed as pacing along the cage wall, repetitive circling or nodding of the head.
Fur bans have been introduced in numerous countries in recent years prohibiting the farming of some or all species for fur. Fur farming bans were introduced in the UK and Northern Ireland (2000), Austria (2004), Croatia (2006), Bosnia and Herzegovina (2009), The Netherlands (2013), Slovenia (2013), Republic of Macedonia (2014), the region of Wallonia and Brussels of Belgium (2014) and the Brazilian state of Sao Paolo (2014). In these countries animal welfare concerns have been given priority over the fur industry’s interests.
Furthermore, countries as Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Denmark and Sweden have adopted stricter regulations which have phased out the breeding of all animals for fur or the breeding of certain species, such as foxes.