Photo by WeAnimals
When it comes to fur farming in Canada, the public (and often the government itself) is largely in the dark. Despite significant welfare, environmental, and public health concerns tied to the fur industry, there is an astounding lack of reliable, up-to-date information about its scale.
Due to inconsistent and limited public reporting, The Fur-Bearers rely on a combination of Statistics Canada data, freedom of information (FOI) requests, and government communications to try to piece together a full picture of fur farming in Canada.
Unfortunately, it remains incomplete. Statistics Canada stopped publishing the number of mink and fox farms in 2018. The most recent data from Statistics Canada shows that 1,011,600 mink and 2,050 foxes were killed for their fur in Canada in 2020 (these figures do not include animals who died from disease, injury, or other causes on the farms); but it does not track other species farmed for their fur. Statistics Canada is no longer updating this data.
The 2021 Census of Agriculture reported 79 mink farms (housing 236,222 animals) and 18 fox farms (housing 1521 animals) across Canada that year. However, this data – collected only once every five years – offers only a brief snapshot. Research by The Fur-Bearers in 2023 also uncovered the presence of other species on fur farms, including wolf, lynx, bobcat, and chinchilla. Notably, farms for these species were found in Alberta and Saskatchewan; these provinces are not typically associated with Canada’s fur industry, which is most concentrated in Ontario and Nova Scotia.
Fragmented and outdated data makes it difficult to assess the current scale or distribution of fur farming in Canada. The next Census of Agriculture is expected in 2026, and while we hope it will shed more light on the industry, the 5-year gap between updates leaves too much room for uncertainty given the sector’s implications for animal welfare, the environment, and public health.
Fur Farming Regulations by Province
| Province/Territory | # of fur farms | Species currently farmed | Species legal to farm | Legislation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| British Columbia | 1 | Chinchilla (mink banned in 2021) | Chinchilla, fisher, fox, marten, nutria | Fur Farm Regulation |
| Alberta | 1 | Lynx | Arctic fox, badger, beaver, bobcat, coyote, ermine, fisher, lynx, marten, mink, muskrat, raccoon, red fox, river otter, skunk, wolf, wolverine | Fur Farms Act; Fur Farms Regulation |
| Saskatchewan | 5 | Wolf, lynx, fox | Bobcat, coyote, Eurasian lynx, fisher, fox, Canada lynx, mink, wolf, wolverine | Fur Farming Regulations |
| Manitoba | 3 | Mink | n/a | No regulations. |
| Ontario | 26 | Mink | n/a | No regulations. The Fur Farms Act was repealed in 1997 |
| Quebec | 3 | Mink, fox | n/a | No regulations. |
| New Brunswick | 5 | Mink, fox | n/a | No regulations. |
| Newfoundland & Labrador | 3 | Mink | Mink, fox, other spp. by permit | Fur Farming Regulations |
| Nova Scotia | 26 | Mink, fox | Mink, fox | Fur Industry Act |
| PEI | 4 | Fox | n/a; Fox, chinchilla, mink | No fur farming regulations |
| Yukon | 0 | n/a | n/a | |
| NW Territories | 0 | n/a | n/a | |
| Nunavbut | 0 | n/a | n/a |
To address these gaps, The Fur-Bearers have reached out to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in the past to see if either agency tracks fur farming data. Unfortunately, neither was able to provide figures, and in fact, AAFC staff confirmed that no federal department maintains an accurate count of fur farms in Canada, as regulation (where it exists) occurs at the provincial level. The Fur-Bearers continue to seek data and updates with various government officials and organizations at both the provincial and the federal levels.
Although fur farming is primarily a matter of provincial jurisdiction, the federal government has a responsibility, as agencies like AAFC (agricultural production and trade), CFIA (animal and human health), and the Public Health Agency of Canada (public health risk) all have roles that intersect with fur farming. Without access to accurate or recent data on the fur farming sector, these departments face obstacles in their public duties, such as addressing related public health risks.
Fur farming in Canada continues to operate largely out of public view, with limited data and oversight making it difficult to fully understand the industry’s scale or impact. But The Fur-Bearers remain committed to shedding light on the industry and supporting a clearer understanding of its impact as new data emerges.
