Mink turns upward at North American Fur Auctions

SANDY PARKER REPORT, VOL. 33, ISSUE 15, MAY 25, 2009
The following extract is reproduced with permission from Sandy Parker Reports, Weekly International Fur News. Sandy Parker has been covering the fur industry for more than four decades. For most of that time he has published a weekly newsletter, detailing results of international pelt auctions, wholesale price trends, business developments and movements in the trade, as well as economic and political activities that may impact on it.

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International Fur News
with Sandy Parker

Mink turns upward at North American Fur Auctions

WITH MARKET CONFIDENCE HAVING BEEN RESTORED at this year’s lower price levels, demand for mink and other furs has strengthened and skin prices have turned upward again. Last week’s sale at North American Fur Auctions attracted a bigger attendance than did its much larger offering in February, resulting in a 100% turnover of its mink at prices 5% to 20% higher than February levels.

NAFA’s sale drew over 400 buyers, compared with only 350 in February, when nearly double the number of mink were offered. But that was at the beginning of the auction season, when prospects were heavily overshadowed by the financial turmoil around the world and expectations for the upcoming Hong Kong and other fairs were at a low ebb. Since then, however, the fairs have done better than had been expected and retail prospects in such key markets as China and Russia appear to have brightened somewhat.

THE RECENT DECISION BY THE EUROPEAN UNION TO BAN THE TRADE IN SEAL PRODUCTS has drawn the editorial ire of the London Economist, which called the vote “breathtakingly hypocritical.” By imposing the outright ban on the sale of goods from hunted seals, the EU has failed to take the opportunity to spearhead international welfare standards for all seal hunts. There is now no commercial incentive to create or adhere to international standards by countries that hunt seals.

The International Fur Trade Federation was “not surprised to see people questioning this EU legislation.” The IFTF, said chairman Andreas Lenhart, “has been calling for the EU to show leadership by setting international welfare standards for seal hunts since the draft ban was announced. The ban was clearly not intended to drive up welfare standards but was a piece of bad legislation, rushed through just ahead of the European elections.”

IN THIS ISSUE:
Mink Turns Upward at NAFA
Females Mostly Outpace Males
Chinese Again Set The Pace
Lower Prices Move Wild Furs
Kastoria Planning Bigger Fair

For extracts from back issues of Sandy Parker Reports see News Archive. Subscribers can access an archive of complete issues at www.sandyparker.com.