FARMED FUR ANIMALS RECEIVE EXCELLENT CARE
North America produces the finest quality farmed furs in the world. To achieve this, farmers must provide excellent nutrition and care for their animals. National codes of practice and certification programs provide assurance that farmed furbearing animals receive excellent care.The standards of care for farmed mink and fox are based on many years of scientific research.
- United States: to learn more about industry regulations and humane care certification in the US mink industry, visit Fur Commission USA.
- Canada: learn more about animal welfare and stewardship in the Canadian mink industry, as well as the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Farmed Mink (also for farmed fox) developed by animal scientists, veterinarians, producers and animal-welfare authorities, under the auspices of the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC).
FREEDOM TO EXPRESS NATURAL BEHAVIORS
While raised in pens, farmed furbearers have considerable opportunity to express natural behaviors.
For example:
- Wild mink often travel long distances in nature, but they do so in search of food. Once they have eaten, they spend most of their time (70-80%) in small, underground dens where they feel secure.Farmed minkspend a similar percentage of their time in their nest boxes, going into the attached, larger pens to eat, drink, exercise and play with balls or other objects (“pen enhancements”) that may be available.
- Unlike many of our food animals, farmed mink still couple naturally; females are brought to the males’ pens atbreeding time.
- Farmed mink alsonurse and raisetheir own young in their nest boxes until they are weaned.
In contrast with their wild cousins, farmed mink, fox and chinchilla enjoy constant access to nutritious food and clean water, protection from predators and extreme weather, and veterinary care when needed.
MINK AND FOX ADAPT WELL TO LIFE ON THE FARM
Mink are generally solitary in nature. For this reason, farmed mink arehoused in individual pens after weaning, or sometimes two siblings to a pen (often a brother and sister). Each pen also includes a snug, enclosed nest box, mimicking the underground dens where wild mink typically spend most of their time when they are not hunting for food.
In the pioneering days of fur farming, both mink and fox were originally raised in “natural” enclosures, on the ground, but this exposed them to parasites and disease. Today, raised, wire-mesh pens allow manure to fall away, keeping the mink clean while protecting them from parasites and disease. Barns and perimeter fences also help to prevent the introduction of diseases that could be transmitted by wildlife.
Farmed mink and fox are both much more docile than their wild cousins. In a famous experiment, Russian geneticist Dmitry Konstantinovich Belyaev demonstrated that tame foxes showing little fear of – and even affection for – their human handlers could be bred in as few as ten generations.
[Trut, Lyudmila N. (1999). “Early canid domestication: The farm-fox experiment” (PDF). American Scientist 87: 160–169. doi:10.1511/1999.20.813.]
In order to protect livestock from disease or infection that might be introduced from wild animals – or from other farms – most North American mink and fox farms enforce strict biosecurity protocols. The tires of vehicles (e.g., trucks delivering feed) are disinfected as they pass through an antiseptic bath before entering the farm yard. Visitors are asked to don disposable jumpsuits and boot covers. Much like in other animal agriculture, biosecurity measures like these are important to ensure that farmed mink and fox remain healthy.
EUTHANASIA: HOW ARE FARMED MINK AND FOX KILLED?
The word “euthanasia” comes from the Greek words eu, meaning “good” or “well”, and thanatos, or “death”. While most farmed animals must eventually be killed, it is our responsibility to ensure that this is done humanely, with as little stress as possible to the animals.
Farmed mink are generally euthanized with bottled carbon monoxide gas.In the late fall when the fur is prime, a mobile unit is brought into the barn and wheeled from pen to pen, minimizing the stress of handling. The mink are placed into an air-tight, gas-filled container where they are rendered unconscious and die quickly and humanely.
Farmed fox are generally euthanized using a specially-designed unit that produces an electrical current to quickly stun and kill the animals.This is the same method that is used to stun pigs and poultry in abattoirs.
From an animal-welfare perspective, it is important that fur animals can be euthanized in their barns by people that feed and care for them daily.Food animals, by contrast, must be loaded onto trucks and transported to distant abattoirs to assure hygiene and human health. Loading, unloading and transportation in close confines with many other animals is generally much more stressful for animals than the actual slaughtering operation.
I'm well-versed in animal husbandry and welfare, especially concerning farmed fur animals like mink and foxes. Here's the breakdown:
Farmed Fur Animals' Care:
- Nutrition and Care: Farmers focus on excellent nutrition and care for farmed furbearing animals, adhering to national codes of practice and certification programs. These ensure top-tier care.
- Standards and Research: The standards are established based on extensive scientific research, indicating that the US Mink Industry adheres to regulations through bodies like Fur Commission USA. Canada follows suit, emphasizing animal welfare via the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) and specific codes of practice.
Freedom to Express Natural Behaviors:
- Natural Behaviors: Farmed furbearers have opportunities to express natural behaviors despite being raised in pens. For instance, mink spend time in nest boxes similar to their wild counterparts' den habits.
- Breeding and Raising Young: Farmed mink and foxes maintain natural behaviors like coupling naturally and nursing and raising their young until they are weaned.
Adaptation to Farm Life:
- Housing and Solitary Nature: Farmed mink are housed individually or occasionally in pairs, mirroring their solitary nature. Pens include enclosed nest boxes resembling wild dens.
- Biosecurity Measures: Farms enforce strict biosecurity protocols to prevent disease transmission, disinfecting vehicles and implementing visitor precautions.
Euthanasia Practices:
- Euthanasia Methods: Farmed mink are euthanized using bottled carbon monoxide gas, while foxes are euthanized with a specially-designed unit producing an electrical current.
- Humaneness and Welfare: The methods aim for humane and stress-minimized euthanasia, often conducted within the farm premises by familiar caregivers.
Contrast with Food Animal Practices:
- Transportation and Stress: Unlike food animals, farmed fur animals are euthanized within their barns, reducing stress compared to the transportation and slaughter process typically experienced by food animals.
This comprehensive care aims to provide a healthy, stress-free environment for farmed fur animals, demonstrating a conscious effort to balance their natural behaviors and welfare while ensuring the production of high-quality fur.
