A Department of Agriculture veterinary report has ridiculously claimed that there are "very high standards of animal welfare" on an Irish fur farm where thousands of mink are permanently caged, denied their natural instincts to swim and roam and cruelly gassed to death.
Writing in the documents, a Department vet (whose name is blacked out) incredibly maintains that there was “no stress in the mink” and that they “seem contented” - despite the fact that these are solitary creatures forced to live in small cages in very close proximity to each other in an entirely unnatural setting.
As pointed out last week by Veterinary Ireland (who are calling for a fur farm ban), mink are solitary creatures who avoid each other in nature and usually fight when they meet.
Speaking on RTE Radio 1, spokesperson Dr Mark Dalton described fur farming as "cruelty" and said “mink in [fur] farms do not have a life worth living in any way,”
Mink are semi-aquatic and, trapped in fur farms for their entire lives, they are cruelly denied access to water to swim in.
In a November 2018 report, Veterinary Ireland acknowledged the stress experienced by caged mink, stating “deprivation of swimming water results in similar stress to deprivation of food.”
In one of the Department of Agriculture’s latest documents, a veterinary inspector claims that there was no stereotypical behaviour observed in the mink.
This is in stark contrast to what ICABS witnessed when we visited a fur farm in County Laois. We saw rows and rows of caged mink displaying stereotypical behaviour - pacing back and forth and repeatedly jumping against the bars of the cages to try and get free - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvX1O9GvsQ4
It is to Ireland's shame that it continues to be a part of the fur trade. The animals endure a life of misery in captivity until, at six months of age, they are pulled squealing from the cages, thrown into a box and poisoned with carbon monoxide gas before the fur is pulled from their bodies.
Being semi-aquatic, mink have 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 after they are thrown into the gassing box.
The Department reports reveal the shocking numbers of mink - all doomed to die - on the three remaining fur farms (during five inspections in 2018).
1. 10,000 female and 2,000 to 2,500 male (200 left post cull) (during breeding season) and 30,000 young (prior to pelting season) 31/5/2018
2. 18,000 female and 3,600 male (during breeding season) and 83,600 young (prior to pelting season) 4/10/2018
3. 8,000 female and 1,800 male (150 post cull) (during breeding season) and 34,000 young (prior to pelting season) 30/11/2018
4. 9.031 female and 3,423 male (during breeding season) and 45,481 young (prior to pelting season) 12/12/2018
5. 18,000 female and 3,500 male (during breeding season) and 81,000 young (prior to pelting season) 14/12/2018
Read a copy of the reports at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NjQ-gsC3JqaOdabtGTk1hjYiIe-DSwxo/view
(obtained by National Animal Rights Association)
ACTION ALERT
Demand a ban on fur farming in Ireland. Contact Irish Prime Minister / Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Agriculture Minister Michael Creed now. Email "Ban fur farming NOW" to Leo.Varadkar@oir.ie; michael.creed@oir.ie; taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie
Tel: +353 (0)1 6194000 (Leo Varadkar)
Tel: 01-607 2000 or LoCall 1890-200510 (Michael Creed)
Tweet: @LeoVaradkar @creedcnw Ban fur farming NOW
Comment on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/campaignforleo/
https://www.facebook.com/michaelcreedtd
Email "Please support a ban on cruel fur farming" 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
Please contact all your local TDs and urge them to support Solidarity's upcoming Fur Farming Prohibition bill. Contact details for TDs can be found at https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/tds/?term=/ie/oireachtas/house/dail/32
VIDEOS
ICABS footage - 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.youtube.com/watch?v=Sxb8fsQgBxc