Finland is a forerunner in fur farm certification
FARM CERTIFICATION
Fur farm certification in Finland is a quality assurance and environmental system that emphasises responsibility and transparency. It covers all parts of the fur farming process:
- Health and well-being of animals
- Conditions for rearing animals
- Feed care
- Breeding
- Environmental management
- Farm hygiene
- Training and preparing for exceptional situation
- Biosecurity
The Finnish Fur Breeders’ Association FIFUR started developing the certification system in co-operation with the key stakeholder groups in 2005. A majority of Finnish fur producers are committed to certified quality work even though participation in certification is voluntary. In the year 2024, in the production of FIFUR’s member farms, almost 100% of the foxes, 87% of the minks, and 100% of the Finnraccoons were certified.
Fur producers commit themselves to continuous documentation, which helps reinforce good practices and detect shortcomings. The certification criteria are based on the valid legislation and rules defined within the industry, and it is continuously developed according to requirements set by the global fashion industry and feedback from practical work.
Criteria exceeding legal requirements include matters related to animal health (plasmacytosis testing, vaccinations), feed care, and fur animal breeding and trading.
A certified farm is audited once a year. In consecutive years, the auditing is performed in different seasons. Each auditing includes checking the WelFur criteria and farm certification criteria for the production season in question. Audits are done by Baltic Control.
Frequently asked questions about fur farming