In my opinion, fur clothing as a by product of a cull or a meat industry I dont have a problem with! It's the manner in which animals are culled! For example the beaver killed in the program was trapped using a gin trap! These traps were out-lawed in britain many years ago for being barbaric and cruel. The beaver drowned. it was not dispatched in a fast and humane way. This I am against. But it was killed this way (in my opinion) to ensure the quality of the pelt, this again i feel is wrong. A wild fox/ rabbit/ hare (delete as appropriate) shot or trapped in a clean way as a product of a cull needed to reduce population ( because us humans have wiped out all their natural predators) I would not have a problem with.
So basically I am against intensive fur farms but a more "natural" approach I am in favour of.
Koo xx
I eat meat (free range) and have no problem with killing animals quickly for our use. However, the fur trade involves an enromous amount of suffering for many animals involved...often over long periods of time. Fur farms mean that mammals are cooped up in cages somewhat like our battery chickens. The mental and physical suffering is huge...and as others have said, other types of killing for fur are equally revolting.
I watched the programme last night and I was slightly surprised that I had mixed feelings as I was a vegetarian for 4 years and once felt really passionate about issues such like.
However, they took you around a Mink Farm in Denmark. I was surprised to see that the killing of the animals is, there, more humane than the abbatoirs we have here today. The whole of the Mink was also utilised so there was no 'waste' what so ever.
The issues being for me is not all farms are like that... over half of the worlds fur comes from China where they tend to torture, abuse and skin the animals alive
Because the fur retailers collect and auction fur from ALL types of farm.. and is collated and sold in colour matches rather than by farm.. you could never be sure your coat, etc has been sourced from a decent farm therefore supporting the cruelty in China.
If there was some way of enforcing regulations, or identifying a coat from a decent farm I personally would have no problem with it, although I'd not be fussed about owning a garment myself! Though I doubt it will ever be possible to differentiate so I have to remain against it.
being held back by the wife
:gagged: