Fur farming
Fur farming is the commercial breeding and raising of animals, especially mink and foxes, for their pelts.
American mink: A semiaquatic mustelid native to North America and the principal species raised for fur. Its dense, valuable coat makes it the dominant species in modern fur farming.
Animal welfare: The physical and mental state of an animal in relation to the conditions in which it lives and dies. Captivity, restricted movement, and slaughter methods are central concerns in assessments of farmed-fur welfare.
Fur trade in North America: The commerce in animal pelts that connected Indigenous communities, European colonists, and global markets. The older wild-pelt trade supplied the markets that commercial fur farms later served.
Fur trapping: The capture or killing of wild animals using traps to obtain their fur or pelts. Trapping obtains pelts from wild populations rather than animals bred and raised in captivity.
Fur farming of foxes: The commercial breeding and raising of foxes for their pelts. Foxes are another established farmed-fur species, with different housing and breeding practices from mink.
Animal rights: The ethical and political view that animals have interests or rights that constrain human use of them. Animal-rights campaigns have challenged the use of captive animals for luxury clothing.
Mink farming in the United States: The commercial breeding and raising of mink for pelts in the United States. Early American mink farms helped establish captive breeding as an alternative to trapping.
Faux fur: A textile designed to imitate animal fur, usually made from synthetic fibers. Faux fur substitutes manufactured fibers for pelts from farmed animals.
Selective breeding: The deliberate mating of organisms to increase the frequency of chosen inherited traits. Fur farms select breeding animals for coat color, pelt quality, health, and reproductive performance.
Fur farming in the European Union: The raising of fur-bearing animals within the European Union, subject to varied national rules and restrictions. National bans and changing EU policy have made the region a major site of regulatory debate.