Greens wage war on fur farming
Launching a bill to outlaw fur farming, the party said Ireland is out of step with other countries that have banned the practice.
An opinion poll in 2002 showed 64% of Irish people believe that fur farming should be banned.
Dan Boyle said the Bill was being published to bring attention to the lack of Government action.
He called on Agriculture Minister Joe Walsh either to adopt the Green Party Bill outlawing fur farming or immediate initiate similar legislation to ban the inhumane practice.
Mary White, Green Party Agriculture spokesperson urged the Government to get in line with the wishes of Irish people by supporting this Bill.
Mary-Anne Bartlett, director, Compassion in World Farming said the Bill marks the beginning of a legal process that will remove a type of farming that is inhumane, unnecessary and damaging to our agricultural image. “Fur farming is not a large-scale industry in Ireland and it contributes very little to the economy or to employment.
“But it does the rest of agriculture no favours because it sends out a message that Ireland does not care about animal welfare,” she said.
Angela McCarthy, honorary secretary, ISPCA, said anybody who has studied this issue can be in any doubt that fur farming causes immense suffering and is indefensible.
“The end product of this pain and misery is not essential. We don’t need to wear fur. There are alternatives,” she said.
Minister Joe Walsh recently told the Dáil that fur farming is a legitimate activity in this country. Inspections have found that the licensed fur farms have been operating in compliance with current legislation.
Inspections have also found that the slaughter methods employed by the licensed fur farms are permitted under EU regulations.
“We have no plans to ban fur farming in Ireland. Our Department will continue to keep in close contact with the fur industry and to monitor the operation of the licensed fur farms,” he said.
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