Animal welfare
In order to breed the healthiest animals in the most appropriate way, Kopenhagen Fur has made substantial investments to continually optimise the environmental conditions on fur farms. Animal welfare means making sure they are always well cared for. Animals must receive ample food, water, sunlight, and display appropriate behaviour. From January 2017, the European fur trade began implementing WelFur, a science-based welfare certification system documenting the level of animal welfare on fur farms.
WELFUR - TRANSPARENCY AND DOCUMENTATION MATTER
Consumers care about animal welfare and seek fur products that are truly transparent and that come with clear documentation. With WelFur, the new science-based welfare certification programme, fur consumers will get the transparency they seek, and the documentation that their fur has a certification stamp that ensures the highest animal welfare standards.
ETHICAL PRODUCTION – WHAT MAKES GOOD ANIMAL WELFARE?
The fur industry has been highly regulated in Western Europe for decades, and was the first type of livestock farming to benefit from welfare regulations. At Kopenhagen Fur, we’ve always ensured that our skins are the result of farming that has met the highest animal welfare standards. But when it comes to ethical fur production and creating industry standards, it can be difficult to define what factors ensure optimal animal welfare. The European Commission’s Welfare Quality® project looked to the scientific community to define what represents good animal welfare, and as a result, established the following four welfare principles: Good Housing, Good Feeding, Good Health and Appropriate Behaviour. WelFur bases their protocol on the same four principles.
FURMARK – YOUR GLOBAL GUARANTEE OF RESPONSIBLE FUR
FurMark is a world-class, comprehensive certification and traceability programme that covers sustainability, animal welfare, and the dressing and dyeing of fur. Due to launch in 2020, FurMark will be the international mark for responsible fur, and your guarantee of commitment to the highest sustainability standards.
Animal welfare at Kopenhagen Fur
At Kopenhagen Fur, we’re strong advocates of animal welfare and go to great lengths to ensure the health and wellbeing of the animals in the fur trade. Taking animal welfare seriously makes both business and ethical sense for us. We care about the animals within our business and, after all, healthy animals produce superior skins.
Leading the way with Danish mink farming
Today's consumers care about where their fur products come from and how they are produced – and the Danish mink farming trade understands that animal welfare is often an important part of the purchasing decision. The introduction of WelFur will secure even more openness and documentation for our trade. Fur production is already highly regulated through a variety of international agreements, laws, and standards for many years. At Kopenhagen Fur, we work closely with the local Danish farmers to ensure open knowledge sharing and the optimal relationship with those who deliver skins to us.