Western Macedonia together with China is currently the two largest fur production centers in the world. This was essentially the driving force for pioneers,creative and adventurous furriers to set up their own fur farms initially with mink, fox, and ferrets  to secure their own source of raw materials.It is perhaps the main lever of development in the region and one of the last solutions to its widespread unemployment. It is an alternative occupation proposal for the rural population of the area to raise additional income.In addition, it is noteworthy that the supply and payment of skins is guaranteed, since the sales are made through auctions abroad and are to international customers. In a relatively recent study by the Hellenic Statistical Authority, fur products occupied 12th place among the 15 most important Greek exportable products. In the EU, there are an estimated 6500 fur farms which employ 106,000 full-time workers and 108,000 part-time workers. The value of furs from farms in the EUis in the region of 625 million euros .

The production of furs is a complex and multi-member process which necessitates a main breeding unit, feed mills,blueberry grow pot transport companies, specialized auction houses, veterinarians, and seasonal workers. This network becomes truly international at the stage where the fur is sold through the mode of raw materials auctions . A large number of workers in other livestock activities supplement their income from the fur farming sector, thus, this sector contributes to the survival of rural communities. Moreover, thanks to the breeding of fur-bearing animals, animal husbandry in general remains an economically viable activity in areas where climatic conditions limit farmers’ choices regarding what they can produce and promote profitably in the market . From the early 1980s until 2000, a number of fur farms were set up mainly farming mink, foxes and to a lesser degree chinchilla, but only 10 of them survived.This was attributed principally to the lack of experience of the breeders, a lack of state care, a lack of proper food supply and the turmoil in the fur and furclothing market.Efforts to increase domestic fur production in the 1990s were aimed at modernizing and verticalizing fur treatment plants , locally, nationally and internationally, which are elements that still exist today.

Notably, while other similar industries have not withstood local and international crises, local fur production has proved to be highly resilient and has not been affected by similar situations.This is accredited largely to its human resources in the region which is its main competitive advantage. The accumulated experience and local specialized knowhow transferred formally and informally through the generations is considered the key feature of the success of the industry and the dynamics of its local development.In recent years, there has been an increase in the breeding of fur-bearing animals in the Region of Western Macedonia, mainly in the prefectures of Kastoria and Kozani, while some units also operate in the prefectures of Grevena and Florina .The above number of farms, hydroponic bucket as shown in Figure 1, does not remain constant from year to year. Nor is the distribution in the four prefectures the same. Meanwhile,Figure 2 depicts the evolution of fur production over time as well as the trend for the same period. It can be seen that the trend equation shows an upward tendency in production with a significant exponent as a function of time .

All the factors that potentially affect the activity of businesses and industries can be considered in terms of the external and internal environment. The external environment includes society, the economy, and politics, is subject to constant change and creates significant uncertainties for the course of the industry,while analysis of the internal environment of the industry aims to enable strategy planners to formulate an effective strategy.The fur-breeding sector in the Region of Western Macedonia is a unique and peculiar livestock activity not only for the region but also for the whole of Greece.Its particularities pertain to the production process and the end product as well as its market forces.Animals are kept in special facilities in cages throughout their life. The product emerges once a year from productive animals at the end of their life and is not intended for human consumption but for clothing.