Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney is about to decide what action, if any, to take about mink farming in Ireland. In November 2011 the Minister established a Review Group in his Department to review fur farming. Animal organizations in Ireland made detailed submissions to the Review Group, calling for fur farming to be banned.
There are 5 licensed mink farms operating in the Republic of Ireland. One of the mink farms used to also rear and slaughter foxes for their fur. The types of foxes farmed for fur are silver foxes and arctic foxes. According to the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine no foxes are being farmed at present. However, fox farming continues to be legal in the Republic of Ireland, with no licensing requirement for the farming of foxes for their fur.
How you can help
Contact details Simon Coveney:
Agriculture House
Kildare Street
Dublin 2, Ireland
Email: simon.coveney@oireachtas.ie
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear Minister Coveney,
I understand from the “Government Legislation Programme for Summer Session 2011″ section B titled “Bills in respect of which heads have been agreed and texts are being drafted” that the Animal Health and Welfare Bill will include a ban on fur farming.
This states that:
“Animal Health and Welfare Bill: To consolidate and update existing legislation in the areas of animal health and welfare, including the repeal of several extant statutes, the responsibility for the welfare of all animals within the Department and to ban fur farming”.
Please ensure that this happens as quickly as possible and that this ban occurs from the end of 2012 if not earlier.
The fur industry is based on animal exploitation and is a violation of their rights to live free from harm, being exploited or being locked up . I would urge you in your position of Minister of Agriculture to use all of your influence to help stop this now.
I fully support that fur factory farming and the fur trade should be outlawed on the grounds of cruelty to animals and rights violations. Keeping an animal trapped in a small wire mesh cage for their entire life until they are killed by anal electrocution or gassing is not acceptable and should end immediately. Pretending our weak animal welfare laws are appropriate will not ensure this exploitation ceases. Only outlawing fur factory farming and the fur trade will. Please give this matter your full attention. I will look forward to your reply.
Sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
No fur should ever be harvested from animals. It is totally unnecessary.
Come on IRELAND stop this horrible fur farming , it really is time these horrible practises are finished once and for all .
I CAN’T SEE HOW ANYBODY HAS THE RIGHT TO BREED THESE SWEET ANIMALS AND KILL THEM. YOU CAN’T OWN WILD ANIMALS, THEY BELONG TO NOBODY ONLY THE CREATOR OF LIFE. A DISGRACE TO THE BRITISH ISLE’S. THIS CAN SURELY ONLY GO ONE WAY AND THATS THE RIGHT WAY. BAN IT FOR GOOD ! OH AND BY THE WAY ,THE PEOPLE WHO DO THIS ARE “SCUM “.
I totally agree with the letter above. The mere sight of the mink in a cage is really heartbreaking. What right do we have to capture those lovely animals, keep them in small cages, torture them and eventually slaughter them? I have the same comment when it comes to silver and arctic foxes.