To be so upset about mink fur farming and I can’t believe it’s legal.

[quest1on]

I think this is one of the most disgustingly inhumane industries I could imagine. What can I do? I’ve read today that France at least has banned mink-farming from now on, and Holland has also closed all farms permanently off the back of this Covid Outbreak, But Denmark?? Wtf are you doing? I thought you were a civilised society! Any country which allows this should be ashamed. I guess the one positive of Covid is that it’s shining a light on these appalling industries. People who work in this trade deserve a lot worse than bankruptcy and Covid. I don’t know how they can live with themselves.

Its not true that man made fabrics for arctic conditions are good or cruelty free. They are incredibly damaging to the world and are a huge cause of microplastics killing ocean life. Its not as clear cut as you think.

As if the mink from European farms is being sent to indigenous Arctic people. Mink farmers wouldn’t bother if they couldn’t sell it as a luxury good to high end fashion houses. It gets made into all those lovely things in lovely colours that we all need in our lives like the pom-poms on Prada handbags,

Publishing comments wishing death upon people is not akin to "thinking unkind thoughts".

Publishing and thinking are patently different actions with very different consequences.

People are wearing mink eyelashes. Real mink.

There are some places where fur is the best option for clothing and it's certainly more environmentally friendly than the plastic churned out in the manufacture of fleeces. That said I don't believe that mink would be the preferred type of fur - better to kill a large fluffy animal than a few dozen small ones if you need a fur onesie.

And if you think mink farming is so bad you should have a look at how seal fur used to be harvested....things are improving.

user - so shoot me then. Cruelty is cruelty - whether it’s to animals or humans. These people have blood on their hands and have chosen to be directly responsible for the suffering of hundreds of thousands of sentient beings. Nobody forced them to do this. They have brought it in themselves and quite possibly other humans will die of Covid too, accelerated by their disgusting practices. I make no excuses for them.

Never been fond of the fur trade, but I do wear leather, and sheepskin and I eat meat. Morally I am comfortable with meat and hide products, so long as the animals are kept in good conditions. I live in a rural area and meet a number of farmers and the ones I speak to have really good welfare standards. One or two across any industry will be poor, but generally farmers are good people doing good things.

@quest1on

All this “whataboutery” doesn’t work, by the way.

I think it’s fine for someone to say, for instance, “I’m not vegetarian, but I am cutting out red meat.”

Every little helps. It’s all a step in the right direction.

What doesn’t help is when people, rather than face the actual tragedy at hand, choose to deflect onto whatever else instead.

I wonder why they do this?

If someone comes on and says they are sickened by child poverty in x location, for instance, nobody comes on and asks why are they shocked and sickened because this happens everywhere and yadda yadda.

You can be concerned about other issues without being accused of hypocrisy, But no, when it comes to animal rights and welfare, you have to have been 100% vegan since birth to have an opinion, apparently.

Fwiw, I sometimes have milk in tea. This does not mean I am not allowed to be horrified by the mink trade.

You lost the moral high ground the minute you said that you hoped human beings involved in the fur trade would die. After that your fake concern for the world around you simply doesn't have any merit. So yes, you are a hypocrite.

For what it is worth, I do not agree with the fur trade at all, but I am an omnivore, and eat meat, so I am not going to make specious claims about being better than other people because of personal lifestyle choices that I make. My choices are mine, and neither better nor worse than most other peoples. But then I don't wish death or disease on other people, so I am certainly better than some people.

SimonJT - I’m sure you would have no problem wishing financial ruin, illness or living in a cage to someone who traffics humans - or keeps humans in cages / filthy conditions
I genuinely don’t see any difference

I don’t speak for Simon but personally, I would have a problem with the above. I’d prefer those people to face the rigours of the criminal justice system rather than the vigilante-type revenge of the outraged public.

You’re right OP. It’s a cruel industry.

I saw a documentary a while ago about when the UK banned fur farming (which I don't think was that long ago, maybe in the last 20 years) and they had to compensate the farmers so a lot of them just upped sticks and set up new fur farms in other countries, often Denmark with the compensation money. One had received over £1m and used it to expand his operation. I'm not vegan so can't be too judgemental (although I would say there's a different in farming to eat and farming to wear fur) but it was a bit shocking that stopping the fur farming in the UK just lead to more fur farming overall with the proceeds going into a different country!

user - so shoot me then. Cruelty is cruelty - whether it’s to animals or humans

you can talk about whataboutery all you like, but when you talk about people supporting animal cruelty for things they don't need, while drinking milk in your tea, it comes off as sanctimonious whining. If you hate people for supporting animal cruelty so much you hope they die, you are one of them. You support animal cruelty by buying dairy products.
Don't sit there clapping yourself on the back for being horrified about something you didn't know about or care about yesterday.

It's a cruel industry. We associate Scandinavia with having very liberated views, equality, etc but I don't think that's relevant when it comes to animal welfare. As well as the mink farms (which I didn't know about before) they have a huge intensively farmed pork industry.

@quest1on

As if the mink from European farms is being sent to indigenous Arctic people. Mink farmers wouldn’t bother if they couldn’t sell it as a luxury good to high end fashion houses. It gets made into all those lovely things in lovely colours that we all need in our lives like the pom-poms on Prada handbags,

The Fur Shop in Barrows Alaska has a great selection of mink fur to add to hats,coats and boots and capes. I even have a dress with Mink fur on the collar and sleeves. It matches my mink hat.

Fur farmed in the EU is mostly sold to China or Russia. The indigenous peoples that wear fur trap and hunt their own.

@Maireas

Fur farmed in the EU is mostly sold to China or Russia. The indigenous peoples that wear fur trap and hunt their own.

I said that about 4 posts ago!

@Mebeline

So bizarre.

actual skinning of animals

Vs

Thinking an unkind thought, unlikely to come true

Sheepskin slippers, rugs or boots, anyone?

@quest1on

user - so shoot me then. Cruelty is cruelty - whether it’s to animals or humans. These people have blood on their hands and have chosen to be directly responsible for the suffering of hundreds of thousands of sentient beings. Nobody forced them to do this. They have brought it in themselves and quite possibly other humans will die of Covid too, accelerated by their disgusting practices. I make no excuses for them.

Yet you have literally said on this thread that you wish cruel things on people. By wishing cruelty on people you’re no less guilty than them.

@CheetasOnFajitas - so? I must have skipped past it. You may note that in these discussions comments are often repeated. Calm down.

Er, yes, I do hope some people get what’s coming to them. I make absolutely no apologies for this.

If you spend your life slaughtering animals, don’t expect me to have any sympathy for you.

[quote Maireas]@CheetasOnFajitas - so? I must have skipped past it. You may note that in these discussions comments are often repeated. Calm down.[/quote]
Yes and it’s highly tedious when people just say the same thing a hundred times because they are too self-centred to read anyone else’s contribution.

You know what, @CheetasOnFajitas, I made a wee oversight by repeating your most excellent point. There really is no need for name calling or unpleasantness. So, take this from me - I am genuinely sorry I inadvertently skipped across your point, with which I am in full agreement, and somewhat foolishly repeated it. Please accept my apologies. Life is too short
Especially if you are a mink 😉

I agree with you OP.

It's barbaric and inhumane.

I don't feel any sympathy for the farmers either.

People on here are really missing the point. This is not individuals hunting for animals to survive and keep warm, this is extremely unnatural, greedy and cruel.

These people who keep animals in tiny cages for their entire lives. Who leave mothers without even any straw to make a nest for babies. Who throw live animals into grinders.,.

A few days in a cage would be letting them off lightly.

Are they worrying about all the hundreds of thousands of animals being slaughtered? No. The impact of their industry in accelerating Covid? No.

They are just thinking about themselves and their lost income.

Am I the only MN poster who used to own a mink coat?

In the 1960's, old ladies' slightly moth eaten mink coats could be picked up for a couple of pounds in charity shops. My student flat mates and I all wore them; often indoors to save money on the gas meter . They are as light and soft as a feather and incredibly warm in winter, lined with silk of course, and mine smelt faintly of the previous owners perfume. When we had no money for the gas meter we wore our minks indoors.
After a while the moths began to win and the coat would start to moult rather badly.

       You'll be happy to know that mink had their revenge later; one got into my chicken house and dovecot one night  and killed every single bird.   It was one of the millions of feral mink living along Britain;s waterways ,  naturalised descendants  from releases or escapes from  fur farms. They are very ferocious  and have no wild  predators to control their numbers.