Ireland to phase out fur factory farming over the next three years

Monday, October 12, 2009

The Green Party and Fianna Fail form a coalition government that nearly collapsed last Friday.  The phase out of fur farming was one of the conditions agreed to by Fianna Fail to keep the Green Party in the coalition.

The phase out follows years of campaigning by Respect for Animals and Irish animal welfare groups. This included huge media exposes of conditions inside fur factory farms in Ireland by Respect for Animals.  The killing of mink was filmed for the first time and scenes of fox and mink in their tiny, barren wire cages released to the media, public and politicians.

“Respect for Animals is thrilled by the Green Party’s decision to include a ban on fur farming and congratulates it on taking this important step for animal welfare in Ireland: said Mark Glover, Campaigns’ Director of Respect for Animals. “As fur breeding is illegal in Northern Ireland it was hard to understand why such cruelty was allowed just over the border.  Thankfully this anomaly is soon to end and we are glad that our undercover work and continued lobbying has been successful.  Fur factory farming has no place in a civilised society.”

Background to the campaign:

* Respect for Animals has campaigned for an end to fur factory farming in Ireland since 2002.

* Fur factory farming is already banned in Northern Ireland (and Britain) on the grounds that is offends public morality.

* In 2003 and 2005 Respect for Animals released footage of conditions in Irish fur farms which attracted a great deal of media attention.

* A private members bill to ban fur farming (Fur Farming (Prohibition) bill 2004) was debated in the Dail in March 2005. The bill was narrowly defeated (67 votes to 50) by a strong government vote. 3 of the 6 (in 2005) fur factory farms were to be found in the constituency of the then Minister of Agriculture.

* In 2005 Respect for Animals released footage of the killing of mink on a fur farm in Ireland that showed clear breaches of the law.

* Currently, there are 5 licensed mink farms in Ireland, one of which also farms a small number of fox.

* Opinion polls conducted in Ireland in 2002 and 2004 showed that 64% and 63% of Irish citizens agreed that fur factory farming should be banned.

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