Action day for fur farming ban in Finland (Amsterdam)

26 of February was announced as an action day for solidarity with Finnish activists to help ban the fur farming in Finland. Activists from Respect voor Dieren found it important to show their support by organizing a demo at the Finnish consulate in Amsterdam.

The consulate is open only from 10 to 12 in the morning so that is the time we chose for the demo. Although it is situated in the center of Amsterdam, at this time of day it wasn’t very busy on the street. Nevertheless, we were able to spread flyers and explain to the passing people why we were standing there. We gave some flyers to the consulate, showed them our posters and did a few chants to let them know of our presence and that animal rights is a global issue where activists try to support each other’s causes and show solidarity as much as possible.

Oikeutta eläimille, an animal rights group in Finalnd, shot shocking footage on fur farms that was aired by the Finnish public broadcaster a few weeks ago. Afterwards they also handed a petition to the agriculture minister claiming that more than 7,000 members of the public wanted her to resign. There are some politicians who also want to ban fur farming and many against it.

Currently there are over a 1000 fur farms in Finland. It’s one of the largest producers of fur in the world, killing around three million animals annually. Fur farming is financially supported by the state, and thereby taxpayers. The fur industry in Finland has been justified by a statement that Finnish fur animals have better conditions than for example Chinese animals. Half of the Finnish fur farms have certificates that are supposed to prove that the animals are well kept. To see the investigation of how the animals are actually treated in Finland, follow this link: http://www.tarhauskielto.fi/en

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