Fur Europe AISBL
To support the benefits of the fur farming, furrier and fur retail industries in the EU.
ID: 874691552617-73
Lobbying Activity
Meeting with Olivér Várhelyi (Commissioner) and
28 Oct 2025 · Follow up to the Fur Free Europe ECI
Response to Follow-up to the European Citizens’ Initiative “Fur Free Europe”
1 Aug 2025
Please see Fur Europe's feedback in the attached document.
Read full responseResponse to Modernisation of the EU legislation for on-farm animal welfare for certain animals
15 Jul 2025
Fur Europe welcomes the opportunity to contribute to this important consultation. We support high standards of animal welfare and advocate for evidence-based policymaking. However, we strongly caution against a widespread ban on caged housing systems. Fur animals, such as rabbits, have cage systems that, when properly designed, enriched, and managed, contribute positively to the health, welfare, and safety of the animals. These systems are tailored to meet the biological needs of the species, supporting controlled breeding, health monitoring, and protection from injury or disease. Caged housing systems for fur animals are not monolithic. Over the decades, they have evolved to include advanced welfare protocols, environmental enrichments, and species-specific adaptations based on rigorous welfare research. Cage systems are used for animal separation and allow for species-appropriate individual housing, enabling safety, hygiene, and tailored welfare management - something that would be lost in uncontrolled group or open systems. The WelFur assessment system, based on the 5 Domains and developed under the guidance of independent animal welfare scientists from 7 European universities, demonstrates that welfare in modern European fur farms can reach high levels when cages are well-designed and properly managed. Cage enrichments, such as straw, tunnels and occupational materials, reduce abnormal behaviours and promote natural activity. Access to nest boxes provides for the resting and maternal care needs of females, supporting their reproductive health and proper weaning. It is more important for fur animals to have access to engaging enrichments than more space. Evidence shows that enlarging cage sizes or accessing more space alone, without targeted enrichment, does not improve welfare outcomes and may, in fact, lead to negative behaviours. Cages also enable veterinary care, biosecurity, and disease prevention, as well as individual animal monitoring, which is especially important for selective breeding and the early detection and control of disease or behavioural distress. Raising fur animals in cages results in an almost complete reduction of stress during the euthanasia process. This is because fur animals are not transferred more than a few metres and undergo the same handling procedures they would normally, keeping them within their familiar environment. Furthermore, allowing fur-bearing animals to roam freely outside of caged units would expose them to ectoparasites that cause dermatological infections, damaging their skin and fur coat and thereby reducing the animals comfort, health, and welfare. Widespread bans on cages could paradoxically lead to less controlled, less humane conditions if housing alternatives are untested or allow for uncontrolled interactions and competition. The right path forward is one that embraces transparency, science-based improvements, and species-by-species evaluation of housing systems. Fur Europe urges the Commission to recognise the value of scientifically validated caged systems, particularly where these offer superior welfare outcomes for specific species; to allow for sector & species-specific exemptions where evidence-based welfare protocols (e.g., WelFur) are in place and demonstrably effective; and avoid widespread bans and instead promote innovation, enrichment, and assessment-based welfare certification schemes. Cages, when appropriately designed and enriched, are not inherently inhumane. Cages can offer higher welfare outcomes than many proposed cage-free systems, especially for fur animals that benefit from separation, nesting, and minimal competition. The European fur sector has committed substantial resources to improving housing conditions, monitoring and verifying animal welfare. The future of animal farming lies not in simplistic bans but in science-based policy delivered through tailored species-specific solutions. Respectfully submitted, Fur Europe
Read full responseMeeting with Alisa Tiganj (Cabinet of Commissioner Christophe Hansen) and European farmers and
30 Apr 2025 · • ELV five recommendations for the Vision for the Future of EU Agriculture and for the mandate • Presentation of ELV (European Livestock Voice) • Exchange of views: Vision for the future of Livestock • EU Trade policy review: State of play
Response to Updating the list of invasive species threatening biodiversity and ecosystem services across the EU
24 Mar 2025
Fur Europe firmly opposes the proposed inclusion of the American mink (Neogale vison) in the EU list of Invasive Alien Species (IAS) because any benefits to the management of the species would be heavily disproportionate compared to the negative consequences for livelihoods in the EU, more so given the impossibility of complete eradication. The IAS Regulation states that consideration for adding a new species to the IAS list must account for the socio-economic impact of those prospective listed species. The listing of the American mink would effectively lead to a ban on fur farming in the EU, as the American mink accounts for 91% of fur production. Other fur-bearing species represent less than 10% of the sectors sales volume, making the industry economically unviable without American mink. The EU fur industry generated annual exports worth 947 million in 2023, with 40,000 jobs tied to the sector. Placing the American mink on the IAS list would ban its breeding, keeping, and sale in exchange for only a moderate improvement in species management efforts, making this measure highly disproportionate. Moreover, similar improvements in managing the species in the wild can be achieved through national initiatives, which there are proven examples of, without the need for the species inclusion on the EUs IAS list. The proposed listing of the American mink would have some environmental benefits at a high financial burden to the Member States. Still, even with the additional resources that would be allocated if listed, the scientific consensus is that complete eradication of American mink from mainland Europe is impossible. The Risk Assessment for the American Mink acknowledges the high costs and low feasibility of eradication efforts, given the well-established populations and the land bridge to Western Russia from which American mink will continue immigrating. In recent decades, fur farms have not been responsible for newly established mink populations in the wild, nor is the fur sector aware of any cases in Europe of American mink escaping during transportation for breeding purposes. The Risk Assessment produced by the DG ENV recognises that modern reinforced fencing, farm traps, strict biosecurity protocols, and training for farm workers have eliminated the fur sector as a pathway to population establishment in nature. Farmers earn their livelihood through their livestock and have vested financial interests in their farms being escape-proof. Most mink introductions in recent decades that can be tied to farms have resulted from illegal activist releases. Some of the worst cases were in Latvia in 2005, twice in 2017, and again in 2020, where thousands of American mink were released each time. From 2000 to 2010, deliberate illegal releases occurred in France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Estonia and Greece, culminating with over 50,000 American mink released in a single event in Northern Greece in 2010. Like any EU citizens, fur farmers expect to be protected from criminal raids, rather than being punished with the banning of their sector because of the illegal activities of another. The American minks inclusion on the EU IAS list would be a drastically disproportionate measure with insufficient environmental gains to justify the closure of the fur sector, which has taken provenly successful biodiversity protection measures. Instead of including the American mink in the list of Invasive alien species of Union concern, thus hindering fur farming activities and their contribution to economic growth and jobs to take place in the EU territory, further LIFE+ support could be given to secure the management of the species and reduce its potential impact on the environment through different options, such as: hunting, trapping, promotion and recovery of native competitor species and management actions against invasive prey species.
Read full responseResponse to Protection of animals during transport
11 Apr 2024
Fur Europe welcomes the proposal for a regulation on the protection of animals during transport and related operations 2023/0448 (COD). The proposed rules will not impact the fur sector as much as other livestock sectors because fur animals are not transported to slaughterhouses; rather, they are processed at the farm. Fur animals, like other livestock species, are transported as breeding stock. Our members are concerned about the proposals requirement that veterinarians be present at the times of loading and unloading animals in/out of the transport. The additions to the overall transport cost from hiring a veterinarian for both ends of the journey will be substantial. There is an ongoing shortage of veterinarians in many EU countries, and it is unclear if there are enough to be present at the start and end of every journey. Upon implementation, this could lead to substantial delays or journey cancellations. Animal transports to Nordic countries or islands must already consider ferry schedules when planning a journey to ensure it can be completed within the maximum journey time. The need to also consider the schedule of a busy veterinarian means some existing and favoured journey routes will not be possible due to the challenge of coordinating so many conflicting schedules.
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