Fur farmer Isosaari: “Quality certification and WelFur are vital to the business”

The importance of Saga Certification has increased with the introduction of the Welfur assessment. When it comes to Saga Certification, that has WelFur inside, the role of the producer is critical. Jari Isosaari from Isosaaren Turkis Oy, owns one of the first certified farms in Finland and shares with us his views about certification.

“The fur production becomes more professional through certification”

“Together with veterinarian Liisa Vallenius, I was asked to help to create a quality system for the fur farmers in 1997. This became a quality handbook and from that document the Saga Certification was developed. I immediately understood the importance of the certification for our business”, says Jari Isosaari. “In the beginning, some farmers were sceptical because they believed that Saga Certification would cause a lot of additional work. Naturally the perceptions have changed since then.”

According to Isosaari he has “always been involved” with certification and he has seen how much the production methods have changed over the years.
“Since the certification and monitoring systems were set up early in our industry, we have paid attention to the well-being of animals and the environment much earlier than many other animal production industries.”

“Certification requirements and clearer tracking through tracking have helped farmers to develop their own business. I believe that most of the farmers agree when I say, that the Saga Certification has helped to improve the opportunities of the individual farmers and the industry as a whole.”

 

Certification increases the transparency demanded by the consumer

The global fashion industry follows the demands of the consumers and requires certified skins. According to Isosaari’s experience, it has turned out that buyers are unaware of the amount of control on farms and in animal welfare.

“However, the end customer has a lot of choice and therefore also has the power. If we are not adequately listening to the end user, there is a risk that the consumer will switch to replacement products and, as a result, our business will suffer. That is why I think Saga Certification and WelFur together are good for fur producers and for the whole fur industry.”