Fur farmers to be compensated for lost earnings after practice is banned

The Government is to make moves to ban fur farming. Pictured is a mink, of which there are about 120,000 on farms in Kerry, Donegal and Laois.

Fur farming is no longer appropriate and it is right that the practice be banned, Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue has said.

Speaking after he secured Cabinet approval to ban the use of fur farms, Mr McConalogue defended the fact that farmers who will be put out of business will be compensated by the taxpayer.

There are about 120,000 mink on three farms in counties Laois, Donegal and Kerry. The three farmers will be compensated for the closing down of their operations with aspects including asset value, earnings, redundancy payments and demolition fees to be considered in the package.

Mink farming for fur has long been a controversial practice but Mr McConalogue said it is “appropriate” to compensate the three remaining fur farmers for the impact this ban will have on them, their farms and their staff who will be laid off.

Compensation scheme

The minister said the compensation scheme being proposed takes into consideration the scale and underlying performance of the industry and provides the owners with the opportunity to wind down operations in a timely and efficient manner.

The amount paid to the farmers will be calculated upon financial returns prepared by the three farm businesses themselves. Costs to the businesses for redundancy payments to their employees, certain professional fees, mink disposal costs and costs involved in the demolition of mink buildings are also included, Mr McConalogue said.

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Green Party Junior Agriculture Minister, Pippa Hackett said: “This is an important and progressive piece of legislation which, I believe, is supported by the vast majority of the general public. It is a key component of the programme for government and something I have long supported as indeed have many animal welfare groups as well as the representative body for veterinary surgeons in Ireland, Veterinary Ireland.”

Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue welcomed moves to ban fur farming.

Mr McConalogue said the move is delivering on programme for government commitment.

This draft bill is the first step in this strategy being fulfilled, he said.

“There are now societal concerns relating to the farming of animals primarily for their fur or skin. It is no longer appropriate,” the minister told reporters after the Cabinet meeting.

The Cabinet heard the statutory prohibition on fur farming will impact directly on three farming businesses that are currently conducting a lawful business.

For this reason, the draft legislation includes a scheme of compensation for the farm businesses affected by the prohibition, which have an estimated turnover of €2m a year between them.

“The proposed compensation scheme is designed to be fair and reasonable to the fur farming operators concerned whilst also being fair to the taxpayer,” Mr McConalogue said.

The prohibition on fur farming in the State is in line with similar bans being implemented, or about to be implemented, in many jurisdictions across Europe and further afield.

“I realise that this is a very difficult time for the farmers and farms concerned. The farmers have always upheld the required animal welfare standards. However, the compensation package being provided is designed to mitigate losses resulting from the ban. I will continue to work with the farmers to ensure any compensation made available, is fair and reasonable,” he added.