The fur industry may refer to itself as "eco-friendly" in deceptive advertising campaigns, but this greenwashing is a deceitful attempt to justify what is not only a cruel trade but an ecologically destructive one as well. Fur farms cause extensive water, air and soil pollution, while fur coats are processed with caustic chemicals. Trapping not only disrupts the balance of nature, but can lead to the spread of wildlife diseases.

Wisconsin is the nation's largest mink producing state, and some Wisconsin farms keep as many as 75,000 animals. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has had to urge the fur industry to find new ways of dealing with the wastewater from tons of fur farm excrement each year. When excrement is allowed to pile up underneath cages it leaches into the soil and eventually contaminates the groundwater. Run-off carries the pollution into nearby streams where the high level of nitrates contained in it causes algal growth. The overgrowth of algae depletes the oxygen in the water, totally disrupting the natural ecology of the local drainages. Fur Commission USA went so far as to request that local governments in the Great Lakes region maintain lower water-quality standards so that fur farms wouldn't be identified as major sources of pollution.

Extensive water and air pollution problems as a result of fur farming have also been created in Finland, the world's largest fox breeding nation. The total ammonia emissions from Finnish farms is 1,500 tons per year. This lowers the air quality and can lead to respiratory problems for people who live in the vicinity. In the town of Kaustinen, the intake of groundwater had to be halted and the direction of the river current changed because waste dumped by fur farms contaminated the water supply.

A further ecologically devasting impact of fur farms is the introduction of non-native animals into foreign habitats. Last year, a nutria farming disaster led to the overrunning of the Willamette Valley in Oregon. The nutria devoured crops, causing untold amounts of damage. Other examples include raccoons in Germany, opossum in New Zealand, mink in Iceland and nutria in other areas of North America. The fur industry continues to experiment with different fur animals and the same problems continue to arise as animals escape and reproduce in large numbers. If the industry was as "green" as it claims, it would discourage these sorts of ventures by fur farmers.

Trapping disrupts the predator/prey relationship as well by removing large numbers of predators during the winter months. This can lead to an overabundance of prey. In New Mexico, approximately 50 people died after an outbreak of the Hanta virus which was related to an overpopulation of deer mice. Deer mice are normally preyed upon by coyotes. But cattle ranchers in New Mexico trap and shoot the coyotes for their fur. It is quite possible that the Hanta disaster would not have occurred had fur trappers and cattle ranchers not disrupted the ecological balance maintained in nature.

Much of the public opposes killing animals for their fur, but some of the environmental movement does not. Incredibly, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) not only supports trapping, but produces pro-trapping literature distributed by the maker of Victor leg-hold traps. The fact that trapping decimates populations of predators and numerous threatened and endangered species through the use of non-selective traps evidently means nothing to NWF. Their literature states that trapping controls outbreaks of disease. The Hanta outbreak in New Mexico proves that claim false. Furthermore, diseased animals are not attracted to the urine-based sex lures used by trappers. Healthy animals are the ones following footpaths littered with traps; they are the ones who are caught. This in turn leads to a reduction of the genetic strength of the targeted species, and they become more susceptible to disease.

The lynx, bobcat and otter are listed under Appendix II of the Convention in Trade of Endangered Species. This stipulates that such animals can be trapped and killed in the wild, but they must be tagged in order to maintain some sort of body count. While claiming to care about endangered species, the fur trade is lobbying to have these valuable fur bearers downgraded because, as the National Trappers Association recently complained, the tagging process is "tedious." Though lynx populations are at precariously low levels, trappers continue to kill them in large numbers in many areas. As few as 150 may still exist in Montana, but the trapping continues. Lynx are even being taken out of the wild to stock new lynx farms. Saskatchewan, Canada legalized lynx farming in 1996 and most states and provinces already allow the keeping of wild cats in fur farms.

The fur industry claims that a real fur is much safer (and environmentally friendly) than a synthetic coat. This too has proven to be a false claim. If you add up the ecological costs associated with the manufacture of cages and feed, gas for drive feeder machines, transportation of the pelt to the auction house, the dresser, the manufacture and the retail outlet and the processing of the skins, a ranch-raised fur will have used 20 times as much energy as the production of a synthetic jacket.

The fur trade believes it can deflect criticism by claiming that the entire animal is used and that the carcass is used for animal feed, but this is not always true. For example, furriers claim that fox and some mink are killed by lethal injection. This practice makes the carcass unusable as animal feed. As there is no economic benefit in giving animal carcasses to rendering companies, the carcasses are generally disposed of in landfills.

Toxic chemicals used in fur processing, including formaldehyde and chromium, cause extensive environmental damage, and fur processing plants have been fined millions of dollars by the EPA. The fur industry claims to be environmentally responsible, yet advertising authorities in England, Denmark, Finland, Holland and Italy have stopped the industry from making these claims. We must also stop it in North America.

The Dallas-based Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade has researched, written and produced a new report entitled The Fur Industry: An Environmental Nightmare. The fur trade as a whole needs to be targeted by environmental activists. Department stores are the main target for protests around the country, and raiding fur farms is a favorite among direct action groups. Anyone who would like help organizing against the fur trade can contact the Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade at POB 822411, Dallas, TX 75382; (214) 503-1419.