Press release – for immediate release
Montreal SPCA calls out government inaction on fur farms
Documents reveal that MAPAQ staff have been recommending a ban since 2022
Montreal, June 3, 2025 – According to documents obtained by the Montreal SPCA via an access to information request, staff at the Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec (MAPAQ) have been reporting since 2022 that the conditions in which foxes and minks are raised for fur in Quebec “do not meet the biological needs of the animals.” In an e-mail dated October 2023, a regulatory advisor from the Ministry stated that “the industry is in decline, has very low social acceptability and does not ensure the welfare of these animals.” Addressing the MAPAQ director responsible for food safety and animal welfare, she asked for her collaboration in “finding the quickest and most effective solution possible,” to ban the industry in Quebec. In response to these revelations, the SPCA is urging the government to act quickly to put an end to the suffering of animals raised for their fur.
A report on the situation produced in 2022 by the MAPAQ concludes with the recommendation: “Now would be an excellent time to ban this practice with zero economic consequences for the industry.” The documents specify that “no mitigation measures are possible based on the biological needs of the animals,” and that “these animals cannot be kept in intensive farming conditions while respecting their welfare.”
“And yet, nothing has been done with regard to this issue,” points out Sophie Gaillard, Director of Animal Advocacy and Legal and Government Affairs at the Montreal SPCA. “Given that the MAPAQ itself has determined that fur farming is incompatible with animal welfare and should be banned, it is unconscionable that the government has still not taken action.”
Quebec would become the second province to ban the practice
More than 15 countries around the world have already banned fur farms. In Canada, British Columbia became the first province to ban mink farming in 2021. The majority of Quebecers want to see these facilities closed in Quebec¹. At a provincial election debate on animal protection organized by the SPCA in 2022, the three opposition parties—the Parti Québécois, the Quebec Liberal Party and Québec solidaire—committed to banning fur farming.
An industry in decline
The fur industry, particularly fur farming, is in decline worldwide. Quebec is no exception: while there were 226 fur farms in Quebec in 1982, by 2022 there were only three². But these three farms alone are still causing suffering to thousands of animals.
The Montreal SPCA is inviting the public to sign a letter addressed to the government calling for a swift ban on fur farming in Quebec.
Excerpts from a report on the situation produced in 2022 by the MAPAQ*
- “The conditions in which the animals are kept do not meet their biological needs.”
- “The animals are kept in cages with floors made entirely of wire mesh in poor sanitary conditions.”
- “The environment is very impoverished and cannot meet the stimulation needs of intelligent predators.”
- “The accumulation of feces and other odours is a constant olfactory irritant.”
- “Animals are unable to express normal behaviour.”
- “The buildings are not heated, which can make access to water difficult in winter.”
- “Slaughter is carried out by inhalation for minks and by rectal electrocution for foxes. […] The stress and pain suffered by the animal in the minutes preceding this loss of consciousness appear to be very high.”
*Obtained through an access to information request
On the same subject:
- Commitments from the 2022 Election Debate
- Shocking Images of Quebec Fur Farms Prompt the Montreal SPCA To Call on Parties for a Ban
- Un éleveur d’animaux à fourrure de la Montérégie trouvé coupable de cruauté envers les animaux
Photo credits: We Animals Media, Quebec, 2022.
¹ Online poll of 1,015 Quebecers conducted by Léger Marketing from May 6 to 9, 2022 on behalf of TACT.
² Statistics Canada, Supply and disposition of mink and fox on fur farms (Table 32-10-0116-01) (2021), online; Statistics Canada, Selected livestock and poultry, Census of Agriculture historical data, (Table 32-10-0155-01) (2022), online.
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Source: Montreal SPCA www.spca.com/en/
Media information:
Tök communications 514-247-0526
Marie-Hélène Avon, mariehelene@tokcommunications.ca
About the Montreal SPCA
Founded in Montreal in 1869, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (now known simply as the Montreal SPCA) was the first animal welfare organization in Canada. The SPCA has come a long way since: it is now the largest animal welfare organization in Quebec and speaks on behalf of animals wherever they face ignorance, cruelty, exploitation or neglect.
