Reply from Alan Herscovici
Dear Eva Truedsson et al,
Since you apparently launched this letter (which several others have copied and sent to us), I will address this note to you. I would like to thank you for taking the time to write us and for the relatively polite tone of your letter -- although many of your claims are, frankly, very insulting to thousands of knowledgeable and hardworking aboriginal and other hunters, trappers, farmers and artisans who work in the fur trade across North America and Europe and internationally.
To begin, let me assure you that if i believed that the videos you have seen were a fair represention of the fur trade, i would not be working here .
Many of the images in the videos you have indicated are truely upsetting. But it is equally upsetting that some groups would claim this hodge-podge of shop-worn and sensationalistic images shows the reality of our industry today.
Let me provide a few examples of how misleading and malicious these videos really are:
One video shows a whitecoat seal pup and then cuts to the image of a hunter killing a seal. It would be hard for you to know from this that the commercial hunting of young whitecoat seals has been banned in Canada since 1987. Or that 85% of seals killed are shot with high-powered rifles. Or even, for that matter, that studies published by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association have confirmed that (while not look pretty to watch) the great majority even of seals killed with the hakapik (98%) die quickly and humanely -- a figure that compares very well with commercial abbatoirs. (Canadian Veterinary Journal 2002;43:687–694).
Similarly, the scenes of rabbits being slaughtered are not pleasant to watch, but veterinary pathologists have confirmed that cutting arteries in the neck results in immediate and irreversible unconsciousness. Of course, PETA (the group that signs most of the videos you cited) is against ANY use of animals, no matter how humanely they are slaughtered. But 97% of Europeans and North American do not agree: they eat meat every day. (Interestingly, the number of people claiming to be vegetarians has actually DECLINED in recent years in Europe, perhaps because more organically produced meat is now available and consumers feel more confident that it is humanely produced.)
The foxes in one of the videos are clearly in lamentable condition -- so bad that this clearly could not be a fur farm, because the fur of animals in such poor condition would be worthless. In fact, investigation has confirmed that the farm in question kept foxes, raccoons, deer and other animals to collect urine for hunting lures, not for fur. Nonetheless, it is unacceptable to keep any animals in such conditions and this farm was sanctioned by the state government many years ago. But that doesn't stop some groups from continuing to broadcast this shocking video and claiming that it represents fur farming.
Many of the videos show mistreatment of dogs and cats in China. But the use of domesticated dog and cat fur is already banned in both the United States and the EU, and the Fur Council of Canada has adopted a policy against using such fur. Most recent stories about finding "dog" fur in the USA actually refer to "raccoon dog" (more correctly known as Asiatic Raccoon), which is not a dog at all, although it is classified by biologists in the broader "canidae" family.
Also: I hope you will be pleased to learn that you are quite wrong to claim that "there are no humane standards" governing the use of animals for fur. In fact, trapping is strictly regulated by the provincial and state wildlife departments in both Canada and the USA. The major fur producing countries (Canada, USA, Russia) and the EU have now also ratified the Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards (AIHTS), based on years of scientific research financed by the Canadian Government and the International Fur Trade Federation. There are also regulations and codes of practice for the raising of animals on fur farms in North America and the EU.
Finally, we did not fabricate the arguments about the environmental advantages of using fur: every major conservation authority (IUCN, WWF, UNEP) today supports the sustainable use of natural renewable resources, including wildlife.
None of this is intended to persuade you to wear fur or leather or anytihng else. You are probably a vegetarian too, and that is also your choice. Our only goal is to assure consumers who do believe it is acceptable to use animals (for food, clothing and other purposes) that they can wear fur with confidence, because this is a responsible and sustainable industry.
It is worth remembering that Peter Singer (who launched the modern animal-rights movement with his 1976 book Animal Liberation) said that it is hypocritical to attack the seal hunt or the fur trade while the vast majority of the population eats meat and enjoys the benefits of medical research -- both of which use many many more animals.
We could add that PETA's moral outrage about wearing animal skins might be more laudable if they directed their protests against leather-wearing biker gangs instead of targeting fur-wearing women. The PETA video showing a woman attacked by a club-wielding thug is truely irresponsible, whatever your beliefs about animal use. (Surely there is no excuse today for exploiting images of violence against women?) But then, what do you expect from a group that equates the murder of 6 million Jews in the Holocaust to the slaughter of pigs, cows and chickens. (I.e., in their Holocaust on a Plate campaign.) This is also a group whose leader says that she cannot accept the death of even a single lab rat to find a cure for cancer or AIDS. So much for compassion! (Meanwhile, for a side of PETA they would rather you don't learn about, see: www.PetaKillsAnimals.com.)
I could go on for many pages, answering errors in the videos you flagged and explaining the environmental benefits of our trade. But i don't expect i could convince you to change your mind about fur even if i wrote a book. (Sadly, instead of promoting compassion, the animal-rights movement is increasingly becoming a politically-correct justification for intolerance and hatred.) I hope only that this letter will perhaps help you realize that, although we may disagree with some of your views, we are not quite the ignorant and heartless monsters you apparently imagine.
Sincerely,
Alan Herscovici
Executive Vice-President
Fur Council of Canada