Protesters push for fur farming ban

A ban on fur farming in Ireland was sought during a protest outside the Department of Agriculture and Food head offices in Dublin yesterday.

Compassion in World Farming, which organised the protest, handed in a petition calling on Minister Mary Coughlan to prohibit the action.

Molly Bhreathnach, one of the presenters of RTE’s young people’s programme S@ttitude, who joined the protest, said fur was a non-essential fashion product which no-one in Ireland needed.

“My message is don’t wear fur and don’t buy fur for Christmas presents.

“Mink and fox should not be reared in small barren cages. It is inhumane to keep animals like this,” she said.

The protesters called on Minister Coughlan to show compassion to the thousands of mink, silver fox and Arctic fox confined in rows of small barren cages on fur factory farms in the Republic.

CIWF said there were six licensed mink farms and two farms with silver and Arctic fox operating here, with a total of about 140,000 mink and 1,700 fox. Over winter, most of these animals are killed for their pelts.

Mary-Anne Bartlett, director CIWF Ireland, said fur farming was not of major value to the Irish economy, nor was it a significant source of employment. “We are calling on Minister Coughlan to ban fur farming as a matter of urgency,” she said.

Fur farming here is regulated for animal welfare purposes by the provisions of Irish and European legislation and regulations. Licensed fur farms are inspected by the Department of Agriculture and Food (DAF).