With headlines like Export driven boom lines pockets of Alberta trappers or Fur trapping taps into rising demand, it can be hard to know what to make of the news these days.
But there are a few key things to consider when reading these news items that show accuracy isn’t always what it should be in the media:
• The Spin: Alan Herscovici is a paid spokesperson for the fur industry, of course he is going to hype fur’s supposed popularity. It’s his job! Even though fur may be more popular than it was a decade ago (thanks, Canada Goose Inc.), most people still don’t wear it.
• The Geography: The industry likes to pitch it as a “comeback” but that is inaccurate. Fur has not “come back” to Canada. In fact, the increase in demand is export-driven (primarily to Asia) because the vast majority of Canadians won’t wear it.
• The Red Herring: While some brands use real fur, most are using faux fur these days. The problem for consumers is knowing what is and isn’t real, since labelling guidelines are so weak. When journalists look out the window and see fur, most of what they’re seeing isn’t fur at all.
• The Hail Mary Pass: The MNR recently launched a new youth program precisely because young people today aren’t interested in, or comfortable with, trapping. A “comeback” can’t happen unless a new generation is being groomed to take over. So these new youth trapping programs are only the latest in a series of desperate attempts to create a new base of support that doesn’t currently exist.
Make no mistake, ending the fur trade will take strong, decisive action from all of us. But don’t let the rhetoric fool you. In the court of public opinion, fur is still seen as the cruel product it is.
Help us bring an end to this cruel industry by becoming a member of APFA today.
