Farming Mink To Meet Market Demand
Meet Jeff Mitchell on his Oxford County, Ontario mink farm. It's a family tradition that started with one male and four female minks in 1949 to today with 3,500 females and a total of 17,000 animals. There is a surprising colour range with each having it's own market value from pure white to many off white colours and shades. On this farm the majority of mink are blacks with some "sapphire" light blue and more. The harvested fur can be sheered, plucked, dyed, or treated in a number of different ways. Demand in China and Russia, the major markets, dictates. While that market can be volatile with prices fluctuating wildly, today each pelt will fetch about $90 each. Canada is a major producer and for the last 300 years our oldest corporation the Hudson's Bay Company has been a principal seller. Here's the inside story behind this successful family business.
Comments
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So sad.
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Do we really need mink fur.
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Why won't people let fur farming stop already? It's barbaric and the fact that people still do this crap really pisses me off. The mink's fur is there to protect the mink from the cold, not to wear as a coat because you think it looks good. Just because something's a tradition doesn't make it okay.
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do people even wear fur coats and shit anymore? shits barbaric
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In some countrys they acctaully, take minks from the wild and put them in cages together, which is not healthy, cause they are solitary animals, so they will kill each other, or even eat eachother!
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I'm torn between the two sides. As an omnivore I'm not against consuming or wearing products made from animals as long as it's being done right. We have the right to eat and wear the flesh of other creatures I mean where would our species be if not for other animal species? What we don't have the right to do is abuse other animals and treat them like they're nothing, we must respect them after all they've kept us alive ever since the beginning of our time. Anyway the Mink here all appear to be healthy clean well fed, they're vaccinated so they are receiving medical care. My only complaint is I would like to see at least some form or solid flooring for them to walk, stand, or sit on. Wiring is hard on the bottoms of an animal's hands & feet. Hopefully they have a nest box or something that they can go in to give their hands & feet a break from the cage flooring. Against the extreme cold real fur is the best insulating clothing. That's why in places that get and mostly stay cold people still use real fur.
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Many believe a heritage of animals being a produce for human's needs & desires. I am definitely one of these humans that breed, raise & process animals for fun & consumption.
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I don't see any problem with this -- this farmer obviously cares about his animals -- they're not walking around covered in feces, they are given room to run around and they have companions. What is the problem here? How is this any different from farming cows or pigs for food? As long as they are treated properly and killed humanely then I don't see what the big deal is.
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I want to see minks for pet not for fure.
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If you farm mink, you should be ashamed!
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how do any of you know the mink suffers?😑😑😑theses are captive bred animals they have no wild in them. Now if they were wild that would be different. But their not so all you people who say they suffer or act like your their savior just stop if your really so pissed then get off of YouTube comments and something about it.😐😐😐
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Why not use the right words, "murder" or "slaughter", instead of "harvest"? You harvest vegetables! Also what is the EXCUSE of raising these adorable, innocent and defenseless minks for fur in 2015?! I have very nice coats and jackets made entirely out of synthetic material, like fleece, which are just as stylish and warm as those made out of the death of these poor innocent beings. Shame on you, make cotton or fleece instead, or faux fur, otherwise, I hope someone bombs your fur farm!
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The choice is NEVER ... the animals :(
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Great to see such a well-run farm! Excellent care is the only way to produce such healthy and good looking animals.
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For anyone who is curious Mink farming is extremly profitable, current prices on mink fur is 85-90 dollars and most of the buyers are from Russia and China so demand won't stop anytime soon since China's economy is growing like wildfire.
The average mink farm produces around 15,000 furs in a year so you can imagine the kind of profits we are talking about. -
The presenter finishes off by saying 'The choice is always yours'. Unfortunately there is no choice here for the animal. Mink are high functioning animals with a high metabolism, who, in the wild, (there they belong), will spend all day hunting for prey near streams and rivers.Turing a blind eye to someone suffering in a cage is one thing to do. (yes animals are someones) There's a saying 'Pity looks and turns away, compassion looks and decides to stay.' Fur farms like this one have been banned in England, Scotland, Wales, Croatia. Severely restricted to the point where they aren't feasible in Switzerland, and Austria. There are strong movements in Ireland, Finland, (2012 free vote to ban fur farms, signed by 70,000 citizens), and Norway to end this animal abuse in fur farms. The Netherlands passed a 10 year phase-out in 2012. The courts threw it out just the other day (May 21, 2014), saying there's not a proper plan to compensate the 'farmers' for the financial hit they will take.This will be appealed by the government.
Check out the brilliant 2008 you tube video animation called 'Fur Coat'. (Segolia Films). Fur Farming is just plain wrong. To cause an animal to suffer its whole life in a cage. Then take its life. Absolutely 100% not necessary. Absolutely 100% wrong. -
Excellent video!!
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