Two Letters printed in Business in Vancouver, December 18-24, 2007; ISSUE 947:
--------------------------------------------------------
Wild fur industry is dying, group says
RE: "Fur flying new green flag" (BIV issue 945; December 4-10)
The Fur Council of Canada is being funded by the Canadian Ministry of Trade as well as by Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
This is the same Canadian government that has silenced the voice of the largest animal charities in Canada by restricting their criticism of the fur industry with the loss of their charitable status. Because we would not be silenced, our 40 year-old charitable status was revoked by Revenue Canada.
However, I was pleased to read [Simon Fraser University marketing professor] Lindsey Meredith's comments and particularly his statement "What they have to do now is overcome the major attack point. That's the issue of how wild animals are trapped and handled."
This they cannot do as long as fur-bearing animals are being caught and suffering in cruel traps across Canada and throughout the USA, where most animals are trapped.
The steel-jawed leg-hold trap, contrary to the fur council's claim, is still the main trap used throughout North America and is now known worldwide for its cruelty. The fur industry has attempted to confuse the public by adding a thin strip of material to the jaws and then calling it a padded trap.
The European Union has been trying to ban wild fur imports for many years and only threats of action under GATT and WTO have delayed such action. The EU is still now considering this issue.
However, the effect of the European public's concern over cruel trapping has resulted in the major blow against the fur council. The public is no longer buying wild fur as it once did.
Canada used to trap five and a half million animals each year in the 1980's while now it is down to less than one million animals trapped a year. In BC for example, the 1980 figure was 300,000 and last year only about 35,000 animals were trapped, a 90% decrease. Similar numbers and decreases are evident across Canada and throughout the U.S.A.
The Fur Council is far too late to save its image of cruel trapping.
We agree that there have been some significant increases in sales of caged mink (and some caged fox) due to increased sales in China and Russia. The height of the market is now about to start collapsing as the mink market is just about saturated. In a year or two China, the main mink producer, will start reducing prices and the North American mink producers will soon fail.
Further, without the glamour, variety and originality of wild furs, the same old boring mink fur will soon lose its appeal with the public.
The fur industry is dying and no waving green flag is going to save it. The world's public has learned about cruel trapping and knows of all the animal suffering.
George Clements
President
Fur-Bearer Defenders Vancouver
---------------------------------------------------------------
Fur trade's green claims questioned
RE: "Fur flying new green flag" (BIV issue 945; December 4-10)
Ever notice how the fur industry never takes responsibility for the animals they kill? Alan Herscovici [Fur Council of Canada executive vice-president] just deflects the issue by saying well, "your shoes are leather." While I don't wear leather, that isn't the issue here. This isn't an all-or-nothing situation.
Any opportunity or action a person can take to reduce animal suffering is worthwhile. Whether you just don't wear fur or you eat vegetarian once a week or you support a charity, random acts of kindness add up. We are all on a spectrum of evolution and change.
There are lots of ways to show you have style. Wearing fur isn't one of them. Having wild animals break teeth and bones struggling in steel traps or having them electrocuted on fur farms is hardly "eco-friendly". See for yourself, dozens of undercover videos of trapping lines and fur farms are on the Internet.
The only "green" that Herscovici is seeing is money. He obviously couldn't care less about the environment. Get real.
Lesley Fox