Pressure is mounting on the Irish Government to ban fur farming, with politicians from four parties raising the issue this month. TDs from Fine Gael, Sinn Fein and the Social Democrats have joined Independent TD Tommy Broughan in calling for a ban. On Wednesday, Deputy Broughan (Dublin Bay North) asked Agriculture Minister Michael Creed "if he is examining the possibility of banning fur farming here". That same day, Fine Gael's Noel Rock TD (Dublin North West) asked Minister Creed "his plans to ban fur farming here" and "if rescinding the licences of the remaining fur farms will be considered". On Tuesday, Sinn Fein Sligo-Leitrim TD, Martin Kenny asked the Minister about "the rationale behind continued licensing of fur farming here in view of the animal cruelty involved in caging mink in confined spaces without access to water although they are aquatic animals" and "if he has considered banning this activity". Two weeks earlier, Róisín Shortall TD (Dublin North West, Social Democrats) brought Minister Creed's attention to the fact that "the United Kingdom, Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Norway and the Netherlands have banned commercial fur farming on the grounds of animal welfare". She questioned his reason for commercial mink farming to continue here and "if the phasing out of the licensing system for these three remaining farms will be considered". Fianna Fail TD for Laois, Seán Fleming also raised the issue this month. In his 12th June Dail Question, he enquired about the Minister's plans to "deal with" fur farming. Earlier in the year, Dublin Central TD Maureen O'Sullivan asked Minister Creed "his views on abolishing fur farms", while Labour TD Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City) asked about "his plans to cease fur farming practices here further to the European Commission report stating that fur farming impairs mink welfare". In January Clare Daly TD (Dublin Fingal, Independent) urged Minister Creed to "adopt a similar strategy to Norway in order to close Ireland's three licensed mink fur farms in view of the fact that the Norwegian authorities have recently announced a strategy to close down that country's 300 fur farms by 2023". Despite the obvious cruelty involved in fur farming and the growing list of countries that have banned it, Minister Creed is refusing to commit to a ban. In his latest responses he disregards the animal welfare concerns and cites the disgraceful findings of a 2011 review group which "did not find the arguments in favour of banning the farming of fur animals in Ireland compelling". This response is completely unacceptable. It is to Ireland's shame that it continues to be a part of the fur trade. On the three remaining fur farms here, tens of thousands of mink are caged and killed every year. The animals endure a life of misery in captivity until, at six months of age, they are pulled from the cages, thrown into a box and poisoned with carbon monoxide gas before the fur is pulled from their bodies. Mink are semi-aquatic and evolved physiologically to hold their breath. They are able to detect a lack of oxygen in their blood and are prone to hypoxia, which means that their suffering can continue during gassing. Watch our video footage of caged mink in a fur farm in Laois https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvX1O9GvsQ4 Watch NARA footage showing caged mink in a fur farm in Donegal https://www.facebook.com/NARAcampaignsIRELAND/videos/1694193503937318/ ACTION ALERT Please join us in urging Minister Michael Creed and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to put in place a long overdue ban on fur farming. Email "Ban fur farming NOW" to Leo.Varadkar@oir.ie, michael.creed@oir.ie, taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie, AnimalHealthAndWelfareAct@agriculture.gov.ie Tel: +353 (0)1 6194000 (Leo Varadkar) Tel: 01-607 2000 or LoCall 1890-200510 (Michael Creed) Tweet: @campaignforleo @creedcnw Ban fur farming NOW Comment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/campaignforleo/ https://www.facebook.com/michaelcreedtd FUR FARM BANS IN EUROPE Source: Fur Free Alliance https://www.furfreealliance.com/fur-bans/ Due to concerns on animal welfare and ethics, fur farming bans are increasingly widespread. Next to that, more and more countries are phasing out fur farming or are adopting stricter regulations that cause fur farms to close down. Europe The first countries to ban fur farming were the United Kingdom (2000) and Austria (2004). In December 2012, the Netherlands, which is the EU’s second largest mink producer, passed a ban on fur farming and will phase-out mink production entirely by 2024. In Croatia fur farming is banned since 2018 after a 10-year phase-out period for farms to transition to a more sustainable industry. Slovenia banned fur farming in March 2013 with a three year phase-out for existing farms In January 2018, Norway, once the world’s largest producer of fox pelts, decided to prohibit fur farming. One year earlier, in August 2017, the Czech Republic decided for a ban on fur farming that is to become effective in 2019. The most recent country to adopt a fur farming ban is Luxembourg, where a law was passed in June 2018 that outlaws fur farming entirely starting October 2018. Other countries that have banned or are phasing out fur farming are the Republic of Macedonia (2014), Serbia (2019) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (2029). Proposed legislation to prohibit fur farming is currently being considered in Poland and Belgium. Partial bans - Before The Netherlands adopted a mink ban in 2012, fox and chinchilla fur production was already out-phased in the mid-1990s. In 2009 Denmark introduced a similar ban including a phase-out period on fox farming. Stricter regulations - In 2017 German leaders voted for stricter regulations that will make an end to fur farming. Germany had adopted new regulations for fur farming in 2009, which require increased cage space for animals. The regulations also require the provision of swimming water for mink and an area for foxes and raccoon dogs to be able to dig. Fur farms would no longer be economically viable when complying with these regulations and therefore all German fur farms will close down in 2023, after the given 5-year phase-out period. Fox farming has also been phased-out in Sweden following the introduction of animal welfare requirements that required foxes could only be kept in such a way that they can be active, dig and socialise with other foxes. This effectively rendered fox farming economically unviable in Sweden. In 2015 Spain adopted stricter regulations to prevent ecological damage of escaping mink from fur farms. Since the American Mink is a serious threat to the Spanish biodiversity as an invasive alien species it is no longer allowed to build new fur farms in Spain to breed American mink. Similar legislation has led Japan to close down its last fur farm in 2016.