Internasjonale faginstanser

Nedenfor gjengis sitater fra noen av de mange uttalelser og studier som har kommet med etologisk og veterinærfaglig kritikk mot pelsdyroppdrett opp gjennom de siste tiårene, og vært bakgrunn for forbud i flere land:

Sveriges Veterinärmedicinska sällskap

"Rävarna (har) inte möjlighet att bete sig naturligt (...)Vissa av rävarna (är) utsatta för kronisk stress (...) minkarna inom dagens minkuppfödning (har) inte möjlighet att tillfredsställa alla sina beteendebehov. (...) minkarna i alltför hög grad uppvisar stereotypier (...) minkens behov av vatten för sin sysselsättning måste utredas."¹

Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet

"Minkarna kan inte tilfredsställa alla sina beteendebehov. Stereotypier er vanliga. Minkens behov av vatten som sysselsätning måste utredas närmare [...] Djurskyddsproblemem innom rävholdningen är stora i nu förekommande burtyper [...]”²

"Når det gjelder adferd, er egentlig forskjellene mellom dagens husdyr og deres nålevende forfedre svært små [...] vi må nøye oss med å konstatere at hverken reven eller minken viser normal atferd i bur."

Per Jensen, professor i etologi ved Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet

"Atferd er det vi kaller en konservativ egenskap i avlssammenheng. Det innebærer at den ikke blir så lett påvirket. Når det gjelder adferd, er egentlig forskjellene mellom dagens husdyr og deres nålevende forfedre svært små [...] vi må nøye oss med å konstatere at hverken reven eller minken viser normal atferd i bur [...] for det første bør de ha stort nok areale i et miljø som er utformet slik at de kan få tilfredsstilt aktivitetsbehovet. De bør også være best mulig skjermet for syns-, hørsels- og luktinntrykk fra naboene. Jaktatferden må også få utløp [...] Mange etologer og veterinærer mener at pelsdyrholdet i dag ikke ivaretar dyras adferdsbehov.”³

Det etiske råd vedrørende husdyr (Danmark)

”Det er rådets opfattelse, at rævene generelt ikke befinder seg vel i fangenskap. Enten ignorerer dyrene menneskeligt nærvær, udviser stereotyp adfærd og uafbrudt kradsende eller de står med bagkroppen lodret op i et hjørne af buret og kæben presset ned i netgulvet med alle tegn på frygt, i et forsøk på at undslippe. Også den tilgængelige etologiske litteratur understreger, at farmræve, som de holdes i dag, som hovedregel er frygtsomme og apatiske og ofte har en abnorm adfærd”.⁴

The British Farm Animal Welfare Council

“Following lenghty discussion the Council has agreed to issue the enclosed press statement making clear its disapproval of fur farming as currently practised. One of the objects of the statement is to give a clear warning that FAWC does not see fur farming as an acceptable alternative enterprise as currently practised. We have decided against drawing up a Welfare Code for mink and fox farming to avoid giving it the stamp of approval which a Government-backed Welfare Code would imply.”⁵

"FAWC does not see fur farming as an acceptable alternative enterprise as currently practised. We have decided against drawing up a Welfare Code for mink and fox farming to avoid giving it the stamp of approval which a Government-backed Welfare Code would imply.”

The British Farm Animal Welfare Council

EUs vitenskapskomite

"The report concludes that the typical fox cage does not provide for important needs of foxes. (...)With respect to the welfare of mink, the report concludes that there is an average kit mortality of about 20%, and a yearly adult mortality of 2-5%. (...) gastric ulcers, kidney abnormalities and tooth decay can sometimes be common. Stereotypies, largely locomotor in nature, are widespread on mink farms. In the largest study conducted, the number of affected animals varied between 31 and 85% of the females on different farms . Stereotypies have a complex causation, where one important aspect is the housing environment. Furthermore, mink in farm cages may show sucking or biting of their tail fur, and biting of other parts of their pelt. Self mutilation of tail or limb tissue occurs, but its prevalence is unknown. In experimental conditions, farm mink show strong preferences for the opportunity to swim. The report concludes that the typical mink cage impairs mink welfare because it does not provide for important needs."⁶

"All killing (of fur animals) methods involve moving progressively along a shed, removing selected animals from their cages. As with weaning etc., this usually causes both handled and non-handled mink to vocalise, and at least in nervous strains is probably a source of short-term stress to both the euthanised mink and their unpelted shed-mates. Where a gaseous euthanising method is used, the chamber/cart itself may also be a source of disturbance."⁷

The report concludes that the typical fox cage does not provide for important needs of foxes (...) the typical mink cage impairs mink welfare because it does not provide for important needs."

EUs Vitenskapskomité

Cambridge University Animal Welfare Information Centre

"Stereotypies are repetitive, invariant behaviour patterns with no obvious goal or function. Their occurrence is often associated with barren and restrictive conditions, or environments which might be considered sub-optimal, and they develop in animals faced with insoluble problems of frustration or conflict. They are not seen in wild mink."⁸

"Denne type stereotypier, hvis man så dem hos mennesker, ville indikere, at de hadde alvorlige psykologiske problemer. Man kunne kanskje si at de var psykotiske."⁹

“Det faktum at stereotypier forekommer hos nesten alle mink i bur og hos mange rever i bur, og at mange dyr bruker timesvis hver dag på å utvise slik abnorm adferd, er et klart bevis for dårlig velferd (...) Studier av minkenes og revenes preferanser, viser klart at de kan utføre lite av den ønskede adferden i et lite bur.”¹⁰

"Studier av minkenes og revenes preferanser, viser klart at de kan utføre lite av den ønskede adferden i et lite bur.”

Donald Broom, professor i dyrevelferd ved Universitetet i Cambridge

EFTA Surveillance Authority

"It could not be demonstrated by the NFSA (Mattilsynet) that it ensures that Articles 3 and 10(2) of Council Directive 93/119/EC are applied with respect to fur animals (in Norway). "¹¹

EFSA

"CO2 is aversive to all vertebrates used in research that have been tested. Some species find even low (10-20% by volume in air) concentrations aversive, regardless of any additions. It cannot be recommended as a sole method of humane killing for any species. CO2 may be used as a secondary euthanasia procedure on unconscious animals.(...) Carbon dioxide should not be used as a sole agent in any euthanasia procedure unless the animal has first been rendered unconscious, i.e. it should be phased out as soon as possible. (...) It would be inappropriate to place a fully conscious animal in a known noxious gaseous environment from which it would be unable to escape."¹²

American Veterinary Medical Association

"Electrocution induces death by cardiac fibrillation, which causes cerebral hypoxia. However, animals do not lose consciousness for 10 to 30 seconds or more after onset of cardiac fibrillation. (...)Use of a nose-to-tail or nose-to-foot method alone may kill the animal by inducing cardiac fibrillation, but the animal may be conscious for a period of time before death. Therefore, these techniques are unacceptable."¹³

1. "SVS' pälsdjursutredning för bättre välfärd åt farmad mink och räv", 1990 og "Uppföljning av SVS' pälsdjursutredning från 1990", 1996, Sveriges Veterinärmedicinska sällskap
2. Göran Jönson, Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet, i Faginfo (SFFL) nr.11/93, 1993
3. “Dyras Atferd”, Per Jensen, professor i etologi ved Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet, Landbruksforlaget, 1993
4. Det Etiske Råd vedrørende Husdyr, Danmark, 1991
5. The British Farm Animal Welfare Council, 1989
6. “The Welfare of Animals Kept for Fur Production - Report of the Scientific Committe on Animal Health and Animal Welfare”, European Commission, 2001
7. “The Welfare of Animals Kept for Fur Production - Report of the Scientific Committe on Animal Health and Animal Welfare”, European Commission, 2001
8. Dr AJ Nimon. 'Report on the welfare of Farmed Mink and Foxes in relation to Housing and Management'. Cambridge University Animal Welfare Information Centre, 1998.
9. Donald Broom, professor i dyrevelferd ved Cambridge University og formann for EUs videnskabelige komite for veterinervidenskap, BBC Wildlife, Juni 1997
10. Donald Broom, professor i dyrevelferd ved Universitetet i Cambridge, Journal of Animal Science 69/1991
11. EFTA Surveillance Authority, Final report EFTA Surveillance Authority mission to Norway 24 to 28 April 2006 concerning animal welfare, 2006
12. Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Animal Health and Welfare on a request from the Commission related to “Aspects of the biology and welfare of animals used for experimental and other scientific purposes”, EFSA-Q-2004-105, Adopted by the AHAW Panel on 14 November 2005
13. American Veterinary Medical Association Guidelines on Euthansia, 2007