Animal Defenders International (ADI) and Fourrure Torture host screening of shocking undercover investigation

Where: Centre de Conférences Edouard VII (Salle Melbourne) – 23, Square Edouard VII – 75009 Paris

When: 11.15 a.m. Thursday 4 March 2010

A new undercover report and video on the fur industry entitled ‘Bloody Harvest – the real cost of fur’ has been released today revealing horrific conditions at 30 fur sites in Finland.

The report and video are being launched in Paris by Animal Defenders International and French animal protection group Fourrure Torture today (4th March).  Helder Constantino from ADI, Oliver Raffin and Laure Varroy from Fourrure Torture will address the press conference and present the findings with a call to ban fur farming in France.

The harrowing exposé includes: animals with open and infected wounds; obvious signs of untreated infection; eyes infected or missing; tails bitten off; deformed and damaged legs; overgrowing gum disease resulting in difficulty eating and drinking; babies with legs stuck through the mesh floor of the cage; dilapidated and dangerous caging and facilities; widespread animal suffering and neglect; empty, unclean and broken water bowls.

The video, screened today in French, shows that claims by the Finnish Fur Breeders Association that “All fur animals in Finland are bred in a manner honouring their well-being,” simply do not reflect the reality and the suffering of these animals.

The launch by ADI and Fourrure Torture coincides with the Paris Fashion Week (2 March – 10 March 2010) and aims to bring designers face to face with the reality of fur, in particular fox fur, the market for which is dominated by Finnish producers.

The French fur industry remains silent about its latest sales figures and does not indicate market tendencies since 2007, when sales fur began to quickly drop worldwide. However production of fur is in decline in France: 180 000 minks were killed in 2008, against 190 000 in 2005.

Worldwide, fur sales fell by 13.25%, from 15.02 billion dollars in 2007 to 13.03 billions in 2008.

ADI Chief Executive, Jan Creamer: “Although consumers are increasingly turning their back on fur, some in the fashion industry have chosen to close their eyes and hearts to the truth about fur production. This investigation is a wake-up call – it is no longer acceptable to ignore the suffering, and designers must take responsibility for the way that their fur is produced. Customers of designers who use fur will be appalled to discover just how inhumane and cruelly animals whose skin is used in these collections are treated. We sincerely hope the report provides everyone with the evidence they need to make a truly informed choice about using real fur for fashion.”