Above, a filthy Ontario fur farm discovered during an unofficial 2014 investigation.
Loose provincial laws regulating fur farming, standards of care, and enforcement make it possible for some fur farmers to bend the rules.
Canada is home to a robust fur-farming industry of mink, fox, marten, fisher, chinchilla and a handful of other fur-bearing species. Last year, Statistics Canada counted more than 230 registered mink farms and 50 registered fox farms across the country, which bred a combined total of more than three million animals.
Fur farms are regulated provincially and in 2013 the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) released new codes of practice for the care and handling of farmed mink and fox.