Vol. 564 No. 3
21 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will introduce a ban on fur farming similar to those in the UK, Austria and Sweden on the basis of cruelty as well as the risk of mink and other such animals escaping. [9209/03]
Fur farming is a legitimate farming activity in this country. Under the Musk Rats Act, 1933 (Application to Mink) Order 1965 the keeping of mink is prohibited except under licence from my Department. Licences are issued under this legislation only if the applicant, following an inspection carried out by officials from my Department, is found to be compliant with a number of key conditions. Among the conditions is that the premises where mink are kept must be constructed to prevent the mink escaping and that licence holders must inform the Department if any mink escape.
Licensed fur farms are also inspected by my Department to assess compliance with the Council of Europe recommendations concerning fur animals and Council Directive 98/58/EC concerning the protection of animals kept for farming purposes. These 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 the Sixth Schedule of the European Communities (Protection of Animals at Time of Slaughter) Regulations 1995.
The Deputy will be aware of the recent deliberate release of mink by the Animal Liberation Front from a licensed mink farm. This illegal action must be condemned, as mink are not a native species and pose a danger to wildlife, fisheries and certain farm animals.
I have no plans to ban fur farming in Ireland. My Department will continue to keep in close contact with the fur industry and to monitor the operation of the licensed fur farms.
