A citizens' initiative calling for a ban on fur farming has received the required 50,000 signatures and will head to Parliament to be debated by MPs.
The proposal reached the 50,000 mark on Monday, the same day it was launched.
The petition, known as Turkistarhaus historiaan in Finnish ('Consign fur farming to history'), suggests the government phase out the practice of fur farming within a reasonable transitional period, and in a way that is fair to farmers and workers within the sector.
This would include support packages for farmers who close their farms, the initiative notes.
The six individuals behind the proposal justify their demands on the basis that mink on fur farms are forced to spend their lives in small cages, and this captivity prevents them from fulfilling almost all of the behavioural needs typical of their species.
"Due to its current legislation, Finland belongs to an increasingly small number of countries, alongside Russia and China, where fur farming is still allowed," the proposal notes.
It will be submitted to Parliament once the signatures of support have been verified and approved.
The initiative is co-led by researcher and activist Elisa Aaltola, who specialises in animal and environmental issues. Aaltola stood as a candidate for the Green Party in the Southwest Finland constituency during last spring's Parliamentary elections, but was not elected to office.
MPs split on possible ban
While the citizens' initiative calling for a ban on fur farming achieved rapid support, the issue remains divisive among MPs.
An Yle survey of legislators, published on Tuesday, which found a slim majority in favour of introducing a ban on the practice.
Of the MPs who responded to the survey, 56 said they supported a ban while 50 said they were in favour of allowing fur farming to continue. Six MPs replied that they did not know, while 88 failed to reply.
Many of the MPs who support a ban said that a decision on the future of the sector should be taken quickly, especially in light of the recent outbreak of bird flu.
Social Democratic Party MP Piritta Rantanen told Yle she is concerned about the possibility that fur farms would become disease incubators, triggering the spread of bird flu to humans.
"My thinking in the past has been that market forces would ultimately win out, that the use of fur would gradually come to an end over time. Now my thinking has changed, with all the news about the spread of bird flu and the links with fur farming. It's scary," Rantanen said.
Yle's survey also revealed noticeable differences between the governing parties and the opposition on the issue.
Almost three-quarters of government MPs who responded to the survey said they want the sector to continue operating in Finland — with almost unanimous support for continuing among Finns Party and Swedish People's Party MPs — but the National Coalition Party's (NCP) members were divided.
Of the 23 NCP MPs who responded to the survey, 14 said they were in favour of continuing with fur farming, but nine support a ban.
The party's MP Ville Valkonen told Yle that he is not in favour of an immediate shutdown of the sector.
"In the long term, it is obvious that it will happen, but how we go about it is important. It must be along a path where each step is considered very carefully," Valkonen said.
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