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Fur farming is the practice of breeding or raising certain types of animals for their fur. Fur used from animals caught in the wild is not considered farmed fur, and is instead known as 'wild fur'. Most of the world’s farmed fur is produced by European farmers. There are 6,000 fur farms in the EU.〔(Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development ). Archive.niassembly.gov.uk. Retrieved on 10 May 2012.〕〔(The Socio-Economic Impact of International Fur Farming ). Irish Fur Breeders Association〕 The EU accounts for 63% of global mink production and 70% of fox production. Denmark is the leading mink-producing country, accounting for approximately 28% of world production. Other major producers include China, the Netherlands, the Baltic states, and the U.S.〔(US Mink: State of the Industry – 2011 ). Furcommission.com. Retrieved on 10 May 2012.〕 Finland is the largest United States supplier of fox pelts. The United States is a major exporter of furskins. Major export markets include China, Russia, Canada, and the EU. Exports to Asia as a share of total exports grew from 22% in 1998 to 47% in 2002. China is the largest importer of fur pelts in the world and the largest exporter of finished fur products. Fur farming is banned in Austria,〔Charles Clover (Europe kicks up a stink over British move to ban mink ), Telegraph.co.uk, 13 May 1999〕〔(Fur Farming Legislation Around The World ), Infurmation.com〕 Croatia (started on 1 January 2007, with a 10-year phase out period),〔〔(Fur Farmers Backed into a Corner ), fashionFINLAND.com, 2 January 2007〕 and the United Kingdom.〔(MPs vote to ban fur farms ). BBC News, 22 November 2000. Retrieved on 10 May 2012.〕〔(Fur Farming (Prohibition) (Scotland) Act 2002 ). legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved on 28 May 2012.〕 In Switzerland, the regulations for fur farming are very strict, with the result that there are no fur farms.〔 Some other countries have a ban on fur farming of certain types of animals. Demand fell in the late 1980s and 1990s because of a number of factors, including the failure of designers to come up with exciting new lines, and also the efforts of animal rights campaigners. Since the turn of the millennium, however, sales worldwide have soared to record highs, fueled by radically new techniques for working with fur, and a sharp rise in disposable income in China and Russia. This growing demand has led to the development of extensive fur farming operations in China and Poland. ==History== While wearing fur clothing in cold weather as protection goes back to the stone age, the source for this material came from the wild. As human populations grew, furs, leathers, and hides for use in clothing came from farm stock, such as sheep (sheepskin), rabbits, cattle, pigs, and goats. The earliest records of breeding mink for fur in North America were in the 1860s. Foxes were first raised on farms for fur in Prince Edward Island in Canada in 1895.〔 Historically, the fur trade played an important economic role in the United States. Fur trappers explored and opened up large parts of North America, and the fashion for beaver hats led to intense competition for the raw materials. Starting in the latter half of the 20th century, producers and wearers of fur have been criticized by animal rights activists because of the perceived cruelty they believe is involved in animal trapping and because of the availability of substitutes such as synthetic fibers (made from petroleum oil). Today, 80 percent of the fur clothing industry's pelts come from animals raised on farms. The rest is from animals caught in the wild. The most farmed fur-bearing animal is the mink (50 million annually), followed by the fox (about 4 million annually). Asiatic and Finnish raccoon and chinchilla are also farmed for their fur. 64 percent of fur farms are in Northern Europe, 11 percent are in North America, and the rest are dispersed throughout the world, in countries such as Argentina and Russia. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Fur farming」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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