A Blooming Good Idea: PETA Offers to Retrain Danish Fur Farmers as Florists
PETA has sent a letter today to the CEO of fur auction house Kopenhagen Fur and the Danish Fur Breeders’ Association, Jesper Lauge Christensen, offering to assist in retraining Denmark’s few remaining mink farmers in floristry.
Jo-Anne McArthur / #MakeFurHistory
The action comes after the Danish government confirmed that the temporary ban on mink breeding will expire on 1 January – a move that will bring yet more suffering for minks.
We are calling on Denmark’s fur farmers to consider alternative forms of employment for a fur-free future. PETA has offered to pay to retrain mink farmers as florists so they can serve in a more honourable profession, rather than working in a dangerous environment filled with blood and death.
Public Health Concerns
Fur farms in multiple countries recently witnessed outbreaks of COVID-19, which mutated and spread between animals and workers. In Denmark, a mutated strain of the novel coronavirus led to the killing of more than 17 million minks. Experts have warned that the crowded and unsanitary conditions found at fur farms are perfect breeding grounds for viruses such as the one that caused the COVID-19 pandemic.
©Jo-Anne McArthur / #MakeFurHistory
The Fur Industry Is Killing Our Planet
Fur is treated with chemicals such as formaldehyde and chromium to prevent it from rotting, making it one of the least sustainable materials in fashion. An independent study found that, compared to other materials, fur has a higher environmental impact on 17 out of 18 factors tested, including its contribution to the climate catastrophe and toxic emissions.
Living Hell for Minks
Fur farms are a living hell for minks. They are confined to cramped wire cages adjacent to one another, making it very easy for infectious diseases to spread through the exchange of urine, excrement, pus, and blood. Animals with infections, sores, and festering, open wounds caused by the wire flooring they stand on are a common sight. Driven insane by captivity, minks have been found to engage in infanticide, cannibalism, and self-mutilation. They’re commonly gassed to death.
Investigations into 26 mink farms in Denmark revealed sick, injured, and dead animals in every instance. Many minks are gassed, poisoned, drowned, or even skinned alive so that someone else can wear their fur.
Jo-Anne McArthur / #MakeFurHistory
Minks Need Your Help
These fur farms must remain closed for the sake of minks, public health, and the planet. Please join PETA in calling on the Danish government to enact a permanent ban on fur farming:
