Denis Naughten
Question:393 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the situation with regard to fur farming here; the Government’s policy in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31410/04]
View answerTuesday, 30 November 2004
Questions (340)
Written answers
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.
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, which gives effect to Council Directive 93/119/EC.
Fur farming is considered to be a legitimate farming activity throughout the vast majority of member states of the European Union. The Government has no plans to ban fur farming in Ireland given that the licensed fur farms operating in this country meet current national and EU requirements. My Department will continue to monitor the operation of the licensed fur farms.
Question No. 394 answered with QuestionNo. 381.