The Saga Furs Producer Satisfaction Survey was conducted in August 2018 and the purpose of the study was to find out how satisfied producers are with Saga Furs’ services. 466 producers answered the survey, which is clearly more than in 2017. The number of farmers answering is however not very large, so the results are often indicative.
Overall satisfaction improved slightly from last year. 69% of the producers are satisfied or very satisfied with Saga Furs. The satisfaction levels between the different countries, varies a lot.
The satisfaction with Saga Furs services is at a good level. For example 66% of the respondents find Financing services on an excellent or good level. Majority of the opinions related to Saga Furs’ services and functions improved slightly. The farmers were for instance very satisfied with the easiness of skin collection. Among the significant positive changes compared to previous years was the fact that producers are clearly more satisfied with Saga Furs’ fieldwork than before.
Even though grades are mainly improving, there is still room for improvement for some of the services. Disappointing prices at the auctions were the biggest reason for farmers being unsatisfied.
Compared to other auction houses, fox offering and being a Finnish company remain Saga Furs’ clearest strengths. The versatile offering is also appreciated by the respondents. Weaknesses are mostly related to smaller mink offering and the amount of auctions.
The top 5 reasons for choosing an auction house among the European farmers are Competitive prices, the Services provided, Personal Service, Reporting and statistics and the companies good reputation.
(The top 5 reasons for choosing an auction house among the Finnish farmers are Competitive prices, Skin grading, Services provided, Selling commission and fees and Personal Service. = This is for the Finnish letter)
Currently every fourth producer, is planning to expand their operations. Share of producers planning to reduce operations or stop farming increased clearly from previous years.