Fur producers have a controversial reputation. While fur coats and other fur clothing items remain status symbols in many cultures, fur producers have come under pressure for raising animals like mink in cruel conditions, for example in small cages, and more generally for breeding and killing animals for a reason that is sometimes considered even more superfluous than raising them for meat.
After several exits among fur producing countries in recent years, who are the biggest producers of mink and fox pelts in the world? While some countries on the list put together by the Finnish Fur Breeders' Association feel like expected contestants, others are surprising. However, with more bans looming, the industry could be seeing more changes in the near future.
Animals used for fine furs are often associated with cold weather and so is the wearing of fur coats. Russia, Poland, Canada and Finland are countries found among the world's biggest producers of mink and fox, but so are China, the United States, Greece and Spain. China was by far the biggest producers with an output of 3.5 million mink and fox pelts in 2023, followed by Poland - also above the three-million mark - as well as Russia, the U.S. and Greece all producing between one and two million pelts annually.
