Greens launch fur farming campaign

THE Green Party last night launched a parliamentary campaign to ban fur farming, saying it was a “very clandestine activity” which was cruel to animals.

However, as the debate on the party’s private members’ bill to prohibit the practice opened last night, it became immediately clear the Government was going to oppose it.

There are six mink farms operating in the country under licence, one of which also farms silver and arctic foxes. No details were given as to their location, other than that five are located in the Border-Midlands-West (BMW) region.

The latest figures available, for 2001, show that some 140,000 mink were slaughtered.

No official figures are available for the slaughter of foxes but it is believed 700 were farmed in 2004.

According to the Department of Agriculture, the overall value of exports for the industry was €1.56 million in 2001 and 156,000 pelts were produced annually.

Launching the bill yesterday, Greens’ leader Trevor Sargent said it was a “very clandestine activity” which involved cruelty to animals.

He cited a nationwide opinion poll from 2004, which showed a 64% support level for a ban.

His Dáil colleague Dan Boyle said the private members’ bill would provide a legal prohibition on animals being reared solely for their pelts.

Asked whether his party was concentrating on an ephemeral matter at a time when arguably more pressing issues emerged during the by-elections, Mr Boyle said the seven private members’ motions brought by the party since 2002 had tackled a wide range of quality of life issues.

He said many TDs from all parties supported the ban, privately at least.

Mary Ann Bartlett of Compassion in World Farming said arctic foxes were battery bred in cages, measuring four feet by four feet and electrocuted at the age of six months.