Fur farming
History
Since the Stone Age, Man has used fur for clothing and as a commodity to exchange for other goods.
The first sources regarding the sale of fur in Denmark are from 1294. In the Middle Ages, it was statutory which types of fur the nobility were allowed to wear and which ones were reserved for the king. Fur farming began in the 1800s, especially in Russia and Canada. The interest in fur farming quickly spread to Europe, especially to the Scandinavian countries.
Interest in fur farming accelerated during the agricultural crisis in the 1930s, because farmers were on the lookout for new production possibilities. In 1928 the first silver foxes were imported to Denmark, and a few years later the first mink arrived.
The number of mink farms rose constantly until the end of the 1980s, at which time it reached a peak of 5,000. Today, there are slightly less than 2,000 fur farms in Denmark, but the average farm size is much larger, and fur farming is now the third largest type of animal production in Denmark.
Sizeable Danish production
Annually, approx. 49 million mink skins are produced worldwide. The Danish production accounts for 13.5 million skins. China is another big producer of mink skins.
Other minkproducing countries are Finland, Holland, Sweden, the U.S. Canada, SNG/Baltikum and Poland. Mink skins are also produced in Argentina.
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The world production of fox skins is 7 million skins, with China as the largest producer, followed by Finland, Norway, Russia and Poland. Denmark produces around 7,000 fox skins and almost 27,000 chinchilla skins.
The Danish climate, with its cool summers and mild winters, is ideal for fur animals, and the possibility for supplying fresh, nutritious feed is optimal, due to the availability of the right ingredients, such as fish and slaughterhouse waste cuts. There is also a longstanding tradition of animal husbandry in Denmark, and some fur farmers have additional types of agriculture, including animals and crops. |
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Mink require fresh air and light. The animals are penned in cages made of wire netting. The cage is equipped with a nest box containing straw. Typically, the mink cages are placed in sheds that are four metres wide and up to 50 metres long. The nest boxes face the central gangway, from which feeding, bedding, caring and supervision take place. Each cage is equipped with a drinker so that the mink always have access to fresh water.
Surrounding the mink farm is a fence that prevents animals from running away from the farm. The fence also hampers other animals from entering the farm and bringing contagious diseases with them.
In the past few years, a significant amount of money has been invested in the fur business to continually improve environmental conditions on fur farms in order to breed the healthiest animals in the most appropriate way.
In addition, fur farmers use the latest IT systems with regard to management, control, breeding and analysis. These tools ensure the farmer the best possible support for and overview of genetic progress in the herd.