Earn more

Earn EUR 0.61 more per pelt

 

By Jens Jørgen Madsen

Hedensted Gruppen

 

It will cost you EUR 0.067 at the most, but on average the income will be EUR 0.67 higher per pelt due to higher quality. The extra net gain will be EUR 0.61 per pelt on all your pelts.

 

These figures were revealed following a rather comprehensive study carried out by Kopenhagen Fur in collaboration with five pelt breeders and, among others, Dansk Mink Papir and Hedensted Gruppen. The study was centred on quality loss and the effect of leather side drum processing in order to prevent fat leakage and thus obtain a higher pelt price.

 

The study was based on the fact that 15-20% of the pelts sold at Kopenhagen Fur during the 2009/2010 season are not scraped/cleaned well enough.

 

Leather side drum processing

 

On average, breeders will earn an extra EUR 0.672 due to the improved quality obtained by processing the pelts in a closed drum for 8 minutes after leather side processing in a throughput drum. This concerns not only the 15-20% mentioned above, but all pelts. An even better approach is to use a self-emptying skin drum, in which you process the pelts for 8 minutes in sawdust followed by 2 minutes on the net to shake off the sawdust. The fat from moist sawdust that is not removed from the pelts makes its way out through the hair side in a few months and reduces pelt quality.

 

Processing the pelts in a self-emptying skin drum costs no more than EUR 0.067 per pelt - all inclusive. This translates into a net gain of EUR 0.61 per pelt - on all pelts.

 

Scraping rollers

 

How many pelts can you scrape using a single set of scraping rollers, before the quality declines? The Kopenhagen Fur study clearly revealed that quality diminishes after around 7,000 pelts. After this, quality continues to decline rapidly up to 12,000 pelts.

 

If a set of scraping rollers costs EUR 4 x 121.00 = EUR 484.00, the price per pelt is EUR 0.069 up to 7,000 pelts. At 12,000 pelts, the price per pelt for the scraping rollers is EUR 0.04. Assuming that the decline in quality translates into a loss of EUR 0.4-1.3 per pelt, this is much more than the EUR 0.027 it costs to change the rollers a little more often.

 

It is interesting to note that, by just looking at the wet pelt, you cannot detect whether the scraping rollers are worn. But weighing the pelts, or looking at a dried pelt, makes it very clear. Cut up some pelts that are a bit stiff around the neck, and press simultaneously on both sides with your finger nails. If fat leaks out,  there will be fat leakage around the front legs after two or three months' storage. However, the unambiguous conclusion is that scraping rollers simply must be replaced after processing 7,000 pelts.

 

Preparing additional initiatives

 

If you follow these recommendations, and the scraping quality is good, it will help you eliminate quality losses on pelts due to fat leakage around the front legs and the tail. However, a little less than 10% of the pelts will still not be scraped/cleaned sufficiently. In collaboration with Kopenhagen Fur, Hedensted Gruppen, Pamu and Dansk Mink Papir will make recommendations for how to avoid fat leakage around the snout and front legs on the last approx. 10% of the pelts for the 2011 season. We are, at the moment, preparing additional initiatives that are to be trialled during the coming pelting season.