Brendan Howlin
Question:125 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food his plans to control fur farming here. [20078/04]
View answerTuesday, 6 July 2004
Questions (93)
Written answers
Fur farming is a legitimate farming activity here. 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 my officials, is found to be compliant with a number of key conditions.
My Department also inspects licensed fur farms to assess compliance with the Council of Europe's recommendations concerning fur animals and Council Directive 98/58/EC concerning the protection of animals kept for farming purposes. The inspections have found that the licensed fur farms operate 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 that gives effect to Council Directive 93/119/EC.
My Department will continue to keep in close contact with the fur industry and will monitor the operation of the licensed fur farms.