The future of Finland’s fur farms is at stake – the EU decision can change everything

The fateful day for fur hunters is approaching, when the Commission should decide its position on the Fur Free Europe citizens’ initiative by the end of March.

The Commission’s decision may mean an EU-wide ban on fur farming.

Politico reported on Tuesday, based on a draft document leak, that the Commission was about to reject demands for an EU-wide ban on fur farming, even though 1.5 million EU citizens demanded it.

According to the leaked draft document, the Commission would instead propose to tighten the rules on the welfare of fur animals.

If the commission ends up with something other than a complete ban, it would be a big disappointment for the organizations and member states that have pushed for an EU-wide ban on fur farming.

Finland is one of Europe’s largest producers of fox and mink, so the repeal of the complete ban on the fur industry would be a positive thing, if the strictures on animal welfare could be made within the limits of profitability.

“Work in progress”

Commissioner responsible for the Commission’s presentation and animal welfare Oliver Várhelyi said on Wednesday at the hearing of the Parliament’s AGRI Committee that the final position of the Commission cannot be predicted based on the document leak.

“The work is in progress. It is not yet possible to say what the final decision will be,” Várhelyi said.

MEP from the center Elsi Katainen (Renew Europe) estimates that a complete ban on fur farming is still possible.

For about 500 fur farms in Finland, a complete ban would mean the cessation of operations. The industry employs approximately 1,200 people, and the export value of fur animal processing was approximately EUR 300 million in 2024.

Katainen reminds that even if the EU bans fur farming, it will not prevent the import of skins produced under Chinese conditions into the EU.

“The matter is still pending, so it remains to be seen what kind of strictures there would be on animal welfare and whether they are feasible within the limits of production profitability,” said Katainen.