Posted at 12:00 p.m.
It is a mischievous caricature of fur farms presented by the director of legal affairs of the Montreal SPCA, Sophie Gaillard, in support of private bill C-247 aimed at banning this type of breeding.
What she describes in her text is not only misleading, it is insulting and contemptuous for the farmers/breeders who see themselves attacked in their professional integrity.
Mme Gaillard says she is “haunted” by what she saw on a breeding farm in Montérégie in 2014. I was there too and I can confirm that there were indeed care and animal welfare, especially foxes. What Mme Gaillard omits to add, however, is that this farmer has been accused, sentenced for cruelty to animals and that he no longer runs a farm.
The real moral of this story is that the system works and animal cruelty is not tolerated on Canadian fur farms.
As with other farm animals in Canada, standards for the care of mink and foxes are set out in codes of practice developed by veterinarians, animal technicians and animal welfare officials under the auspices of the National Council for farm animal care2. Failure to comply with these codes can lead to criminal charges and the loss of the right to breed – as happened to the Montérégie farmer.
easy target
Fur is an easy target for activist groups who oppose any use of animals, even for food, because it’s a cottage industry that doesn’t have the financial resources or political clout that big industries may have to resist such attacks.
More importantly, but not often mentioned, is how insulting and hurtful these anti-fur campaigns are to ranching families. If their farm animals were treated as badly as activists say, these farmers would be monsters. The moral superiority displayed by anti-fur activists is truly unacceptable.
According to Mme Gaillard, fur is an “absolutely non-essential luxury product”. Another misleading statement. Sure, there is faux fur, but this one – like 65% of all our clothing today – is made from non-renewable and non-biodegradable synthetic materials derived from petroleum. We now know that these materials release microparticles of plastic into the air, which are found in aquatic life and even in breast milk.3 !
On the other hand, natural fur has the ecological advantage of being extremely durable and, after 30 years or more of use, even “restyled” regularly to the taste of the day, of being completely biodegradable.4.
No one is forced to wear fur. But as environmentalists urge us to consume less – which means buying better quality clothes that last longer – we should support and promote the use of responsibly produced natural fur. And not try to ban it!