The campaign for an end to cruel fur farming in Ireland has this week received a major boost with the news that award-winning director/writer/producer Jim Sheridan has joined calls for a ban.

Jim, a 6-time Oscar-nominee widely admired for his work on films such as My Left Foot, The Field, In America, Into the West, In the Name of the Father, The Boxer, etc is the latest addition to a list of over 400 of the biggest names in the world of film, television, theatre, radio, sport, literature and music calling for a fur farming ban.

The list, compiled by actor Rachel Pilkington (who currently plays 'Jane Black' in Fair City), also includes Oscar-nominated actors Saoirse Ronan, Ruth Negga and Stephen Rea, Oscar-nominated director Lenny Abrahamson ("Room"), Emmy award-winning director Emer Reynolds ("The Farthest"), Olympic medallist Sonia O'Sullivan, former international rugby player Alan Quinlan, musicians Sharon Shannon, Damien Dempsey, Mundy, Don Mescall, Mary Coughlan, Josh Gray and Brian Kennedy, author Cathy Kelly, comedians Deirdre O'Kane and PJ Gallagher and many, many more - See https://www.facebook.com/pg/banbloodsports/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1921305734651642

All have signed a petition stating "I'm calling for a ban on fur farming in Ireland" which is aimed at Agriculture Minister Michael Creed and the Irish Government.

Speaking out against the cruelty of fur farming, Rachel Pilkington has commented: "The practice of fur farming violates most of the 'five freedoms' which underpin animal welfare best practices. From the moment they are born into captivity, the intrinsic value of these sentient beings fails to be recognised. By nature, mink are semi-aquatic and solitary mammals who are denied all basic rights to expression, dignity and freedom by being confined to small cages (in groups) for the duration of their lives. They exhibit many stereotypical behaviours synonymous with stress until they are finally dragged from their cages in terror and forced into darkened, overcrowded gassing boxes to be poisoned to death by carbon monoxide gas. No amendments to the government's current 'code of practice' will ever eradicate or alleviate the suffering of these animals. No amendments will ever excuse or justify it as a farming practice. Anyone who even attempts to validate such cruelty on the grounds of economic profit or gain demonstrates a rather shameful level of emotional detachment."

A big thank you to Rachel Pilkington, Jim Sheridan and all of the 400+ who have signed the petition. Please join them in calling for a ban on fur farming.

ACTION ALERT

Urge Taoiseach/Prime Minister, Leo Varadkar, and Agriculture Minister Michael Creed to put in place a long overdue ban on fur farming.

Leo Varadkar TD
Department of the Taoiseach
Merrion Street, Dublin 2
Phone: +353 (0)1-6194000 OR +353 (0)1-6403133, +353 (0)1-6194598 (Constituency Office)
Email: leo.varadkar@oir.ie, leoconstituency@taoiseach.gov.ie, finegael@finegael.ie
CC: michael.creed@oir.ie (Agriculture Minister Michael Creed)
Leave a comment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/campaignforleo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/campaignforleo

Michael Creed TD
Minister for Agriculture
Kildare Street, Dublin 2.
Email: michael.creed@oir.ie
Tel: 01-607 2000 or LoCall 1890-200510.
Leave a comment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michaelcreedtd
Tweet to: @creedcnw

Send an email to ALL Fine Gael TDs

maria.bailey@oireachtas.ie; sean.barrett@oireachtas.ie; pat.breen@oireachtas.ie; colm.brophy@oireachtas.ie; richard.bruton@oireachtas.ie; peter.burke@oireachtas.ie; catherine.byrne@oireachtas.ie; Ciaran.Cannon@oireachtas.ie; joe.carey@oireachtas.ie; corcorankennedy@eircom.net; Simon.Coveney@oireachtas.ie; michael.creed@oireachtas.ie; michael.darcy@oireachtas.ie; Jim.Daly@oireachtas.ie; john.deasy@oireachtas.ie; Pat.Deering@oireachtas.ie; Regina.Doherty@oireachtas.ie; Paschal.Donohoe@oireachtas.ie; andrew.doyle@oireachtas.ie; bernard.durkan@oireachtas.ie; damien.english@oireachtas.ie; Alan.Farrell@oireachtas.ie; frances.fitzgerald@oir.ie; peterm.fitzpatrick@oireachtas.ie; charles.flanagan@oireachtas.ie; Brendan.Griffin@oireachtas.ie; Simon.Harris@oireachtas.ie; Martin.Heydon@oireachtas.ie; Heather.Humphreys@oireachtas.ie; paul.kehoe@oireachtas.ie; enda.kenny@oireachtas.ie; Sean.Kyne@oireachtas.ie; josepha.madigan@oireachtas.ie; helen.mcentee@oireachtas.ie; joe.mchugh@oireachtas.ie; Tony.McLoughlin@oireachtas.ie; Mary.MitchellOConnor@oireachtas.ie; Dara.Murphy@oireachtas.ie; Eoghan.Murphy@oireachtas.ie; hildegarde.naughton@oireachtas.ie; tom.neville@limerick.ie; michael.noonan@oireachtas.ie; kate.oconnell@oireachtas.ie; Patrick.O'Donovan@oireachtas.ie; fergus.odowd@oireachtas.ie; JohnPaul.Phelan@oireachtas.ie; michael.ring@oireachtas.ie; noel@noelrock.ie; david.stanton@oir.ie; leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie

Urge Fianna Fáil leader, Micheal Martin and Fianna Fail TDs to back a ban on fur farming.

Email: micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie, info@fiannafail.ie
Tel: 021-432 0088 (Constituency Office) OR 01–618 3000 (Leinster House)
Leave a comment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michealmartintd
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MichealMartinTD

Send an email to ALL Fianna Fáil TDs

billykelleher@eircom.net;sean.haughey@oireachtas.ie;Bobby.Aylward@oireachtas.ie;brendan.smith@oireachtas.ie;johncurranff@gmail.com;Charlie.McConalogue@oireachtas.ie;michael.mcgrath@oireachtas.ie;sean.ofearghail@oireachtas.ie;john.brassil@oireachtas.ie;darragh.obrien@oireachtas.ie;eamon.ocuiv@oireachtas.ie;jackie.cahill@oireachtas.ie;john.mcguinness@oireachtas.ie;mattie.mcgrath@oireachtas.ie;micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie;michael.moynihan.td@oireachtas.ie;niall.collins@oireachtas.ie;coper@eircom.net;Robert.Troy@oireachtas.ie;thomas.byrne@oireachtas.ie;timmy.dooley@oireachtas.ie;barry.cowen@oireachtas.ie;fiona@fiona.ie;declan.breathnach@oireachtas.ie;mary.butler@oireachtas.ie;kevin.okeeffe@oireachtas.ie;dara.calleary@oireachtas.ie;escanlonmcc@eircom.net;sean.fleming@oireachtas.ie;niamh.smyth@oireachtas.ie;james@jameslawless.ie;shane.cassells@oireachtas.ie;willie.odea@oireachtas.ie;margaret.murphyomahony@oireachtas.ie;anne.rabbitte@oireachtas.ie;eugene.murphy@oireachtas.ie;jack.chambers@outlook.com;james.browne@oireachtas.ie;john.lahart@oireachtas.ie;lisa.chambers@oireachtas.ie;marc.macsharry@oireachtas.ie;jim.ocallaghan@oireachtas.ie;pat.casey@oireachtas.ie;aindrias.moynihan@oireachtas.ie;frankorourke1@gmail.com

Please contact all your local TDs and urge them to support Solidarity's Fur Farm Prohibition bill 2018. Contact details for TDs can be found at https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/tds/?term=/ie/oireachtas/house/dail/32

VIDEOS

Victims of Ireland's cruel far farming
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=artr7qwCLLk&index=2&list=PL43C1F00F38986C68

NARA footage showing caged mink in a fur farm in Donegal
https://www.facebook.com/NARAcampaignsIRELAND/videos/1694193503937318/

Mink pulled from cages and thrown into gassing box
https://www.facebook.com/banbloodsports/videos/2241073319549210/