Feb 05, 2026 The Changing Fortunes of the Fur Industry
In 1992, I attended two conferences in Canada. The first was organized by the AAZPA (now known as the AZA – Association of Zoos and Aquariums) in Toronto. Animal rights philosopher Tom Regan participated in a panel discussion and was challenged on his views.
In his response, Regan highlighted the false claims about red paint being thrown on fur wearers circulating in the fur industry. Regan mentioned that he had asked activists in the city to investigate the claim, but no one could confirm that such an incident had occurred. Regan asserted that the red paint story was fabricated and used by the fur industry to portray animal activists in a negative light.
The second conference was organized by the Alberta Feedstuffs Council in Lethbridge, Canada. During a break, I found myself in a small group listening to Alan Herscovici, a critic of the animal rights movement and a spokesperson for the Canadian Fur Industry. He claimed he had contacted furriers across New York City. None had been asked to clean red paint off a fur coat. Herscovici argued that the red paint story was false and was being propagated by animal rights activists aiming to deter consumers from buying and wearing fur.
I was intrigued by the contrasting perspectives from both sides of the fur issue on the red paint story and have periodically examined data on global fur sales. There are currently numerous indicators that the popularity of fur is plummeting. A report by the Fur Free Alliance claims that the number of animals raised for fur in China, the EU, Russia, and North America has dropped from 130 million in 2015 to just 21 million in 2023. While fur sales tend to decline during warmer weather, can fur sales be another indicator of global warming? The industry has experienced several boom-and-bust cycles over the last fifty years. However, according to an article in Vox, everything changed when Gucci announced a fur-free policy in 2017. Following Gucci’s lead, other major brands such as Versace, Burberry, Prada, Chanel, and Michael Kors quickly adopted fur-free policies. A total of 1,500 fashion companies have now indicated they are going fur-free.
Sixteen European countries have instituted national fur bans, while others have introduced restrictions on fur production and imports. In 2023, European activists delivered over 1.5 million signatures to the European Commission in support of a ban on the production and sale of fur across the EU. A damning 2025 report by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) on the adverse welfare consequences of fur farming supports public complaints about animal suffering during fur production. Economic downturns in Russia and China, and the finding that mink are highly susceptible to COVID infection, have also put downward pressure on fur production and sales. In Canada, the number of fur farms has fallen from 347 in 2011 to under 100 today, while the value of mink pelt exports dropped from Can$813 million in 2013 to Can$25 million in 2023.
The fur industry is known for bouncing back from fur sales downturns, but the current downturn appears different from previous ones. Past downturns were often caused by factors such as the over-exploitation of wild furbearer populations, changing fashion trends, and increasing competition from substitutes like faux fur. Nowadays, most fur comes from farmed animals, and modern faux fur products are much more realistic than they used to be. Additionally, the contemporary animal protection movement is politically more potent and has greater global influence than it did 50 years ago. Public attitudes to fur production in Canada are negative, and a large majority would welcome a national ban on fur production and sales.
While the international Fur Free Alliance celebrates recent progress, the organization warns that “as long as animals suffer on cruel fur farms, our work is far from over.”