Great Greenland Furhouse
Encyclopedia
Great Greenland Furhouse is a modern tanning and production company that processes furs and sells clothing, fashion wear and other products made of Greenland fur and seal skin, located in Qaqortoq
, south Greenland
. The company operates based on a service contract between the Greenlandic Home Rule government
and Great Greenland A/S.
, Nuuk
, Tasiilaq
, and Upernavik
, as well as independent trading stations in smaller villages, totalling more than 70 independent trading stations. Dried seal skin can also be purchased from the smallest communities via Pilersuisoq. In total over 2,500 people are involved in the seal skin trade. This makes Great Greenland Furhouse one of the biggest employers in the entire country. Also, of the 64 people directly employed the company, 51 are working in Qaqortoq, making Great Greenland one of the biggest employers in the town.
voted in favour of an EU-wide ban on seal products, exemptions allowing limited seal product trade for Greenland Inuit. The majority of the fur products are headed for the European markets, with Denmark as the biggest customer.
In 2007 the company applied to the Greenlandic Home Rule government to begin commercial test hunt on harp seal pups. Since the EEC
seal skin ban in 1983, the company receives between 25 to 30 million DKK (3.5 to 4 mil EUR) annually to support and develop Greenlandic seal hunt and production. There are currently 1,900 licensed professional hunters on Greenland, of these an estimated 200 to 300 are economically dependent on supplying seal skins to Great Greenland. On average the professional hunters earn about 50,000 DKK (6,000 EUR) annually from hunting and coastal fishing, roughly 20% of this amount consists of direct subsidies from the Greenland Home Rule.
Qaqortoq
Qaqortoq is a town in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. With a population of 3,230 as of 2011, it is the most populous town in southern Greenland, and the fourth-largest town in the country. The name is western Greenlandic and means "[the] white [one]".- History :The area around...
, south Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
. The company operates based on a service contract between the Greenlandic Home Rule government
Greenlandic self-government referendum, 2008
A non-binding referendum on Greenland's autonomy was held on 25 November 2008. It was passed with 75% approval and a 72% turnout. The referendum was announced by Prime Minister Hans Enoksen on 2 January 2008. Enoksen also announced the launch of an information and discussion campaign on the issue...
and Great Greenland A/S.
Purchase and procurement of skins
The company purchases seal skin from all over Greenland. The company owns trading stations, skin centers, in ManiitsoqManiitsoq
Maniitsoq is a town in the Qeqqata municipality in western Greenland. With 2,784 inhabitants as of 2010, it is the sixth-largest town in Greenland...
, Nuuk
Nuuk
Nuuk, is the capital of Greenland, the northernmost capital in North America and the largest city in Greenland. Located in the Nuup Kangerlua fjord, the city lies on the eastern shore of the Labrador Sea and on the west coast of Sermersooq. Nuuk is the largest cultural and economic center in...
, Tasiilaq
Tasiilaq
Tasiilaq is a town in the Sermersooq municipality in southeastern Greenland. With 1,930 inhabitants as of 2010, it is the most populous community on the eastern coast, and the seventh-largest town in Greenland...
, and Upernavik
Upernavik
Upernavik is a small town in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland, located on a small island of the same name. With 1,129 inhabitants as of 2010, it is the thirteenth-largest town in Greenland. Due to the small size of the settlement, everything is within walking distance...
, as well as independent trading stations in smaller villages, totalling more than 70 independent trading stations. Dried seal skin can also be purchased from the smallest communities via Pilersuisoq. In total over 2,500 people are involved in the seal skin trade. This makes Great Greenland Furhouse one of the biggest employers in the entire country. Also, of the 64 people directly employed the company, 51 are working in Qaqortoq, making Great Greenland one of the biggest employers in the town.
Markets and politics
The import and sale of seal fur is illegal in the United States, due to the 1972 U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act. The act categorically bans "imports or sales of all marine mammal products", regardless of the conservation status of the animal. On May 5, 2009, the European ParliamentEuropean Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
voted in favour of an EU-wide ban on seal products, exemptions allowing limited seal product trade for Greenland Inuit. The majority of the fur products are headed for the European markets, with Denmark as the biggest customer.
In 2007 the company applied to the Greenlandic Home Rule government to begin commercial test hunt on harp seal pups. Since the EEC
EEC
EEC is an abbreviation that usually refers to the European Economic Community, the forerunner to the European Union.It may also refer to;* The East Erie Commercial Railroad, a shortline in Pennsylvania...
seal skin ban in 1983, the company receives between 25 to 30 million DKK (3.5 to 4 mil EUR) annually to support and develop Greenlandic seal hunt and production. There are currently 1,900 licensed professional hunters on Greenland, of these an estimated 200 to 300 are economically dependent on supplying seal skins to Great Greenland. On average the professional hunters earn about 50,000 DKK (6,000 EUR) annually from hunting and coastal fishing, roughly 20% of this amount consists of direct subsidies from the Greenland Home Rule.