Many of us have seen or heard of PETA throwing animal blood and paint on those wearing fur, which completely misses the point and puts all of the attention on the group instead of the issue. There has been a trend of fur production declining, with many feeling that it is unneeded and superfluous. In fact, the U.K. outlawed fur farms in the nation, however it was outsourced to Scandinavia. There are plenty of videos online of incredibly graphic mistreatment of fur animals (foxes, minks, etc), along with the small wire cages, and lack of exercise. This is especially true in nations that are developing, such as Asiatic nations, which have next to no regulations for the animals. These are actually akin to puppy mills, as well. While I'm not saying that every fur farm is like this (in fact, I would say the extreme minority are), these are the ones that go viral and sway public opinion.
For a view of the other side of the coin, the industry offers videos and webpages saying how the farms treat the animals humanely (including their deaths), and how the trade is economical, and green (they recycle animal products as food for the fur animals). The page furisgreen (listed below) also mentions how Canada has a recommended code on handling the welfare of fur animals, but the problem with that is that it's recommended. The laws for taking care of these animals are not very strong, and it's worrisome to think of how foxes and rabbits and minks can be treated poorly.
Obviously this is strongly opinionated, and people are of course entitled to their opinions, but this is an issue that, if nothing else, needs to be looked at in depth with practice and law changes to make sure that humane practices are put into effect.
Sources:
http://www.gan.ca/campaigns/fur+trade/factsheets/trapping+and+the+environment.en.html
http://www.lcanimal.org/index.php/campaigns/fur/fur-trade-facts
http://www.furisgreen.com/animalwelfare.aspx
http://www.billsbearrugs.com/Fox%20Coyote%20Lynx/foxpelts02.jpg
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