“If Fine Gael is truly compassionate, forward-looking and progressive it needs to realize that fur is no longer either necessary or defensible in a civilized society. Or does it want to be dubbed the Cruelty Party?” - Read John Fitzgerald’s Letter to the Editor in today’s Irish Examiner...
The 'Cruelty Party' must take action
Irish Examiner 14th June 2019
The Government needs to start listening to animal welfare groups on the subject of fur farming.
Opinion polls show that an overwhelming majority of the Irish people want it banned. The mind boggles at the very thought of all those semi-aquatic creatures trapped in tiny cages, stressed and frustrated by their unnatural confinement, and then having the skin ripped from their bodies after slaughter to feed the vile fur industry.
Around 200, 000 mink are subjected to this hell on earth every year. Fine Gael is the only political party that has not pledged to back the Solidarity Bill, due to be debated on July 3rd. Why is it that Fine Gael is so slow to support measures aimed at easing the suffering of animals?
In 1990, it was a Fianna Fail-Progressive Democrat coalition that banned otter hunting, which involved the hounding of those endangered aquatic animals in the waterways of Munster.
In 2010, it was the Fianna Fail-Green government that banned carted stag hunting, in the teeth of fierce opposition from Fine Gael which defended this appalling "recreation" that forced captive deer to run from packs of dogs until they collapsed from exhaustion, racked by pain and bleeding from head to foot.
Now, in the run-up to a vote on a bill to end the torturous plight of farmed mink, we have Fine Gael once again failing to respond humanely to animal suffering.
I appeal to the Taoiseach, who projects a caring, liberal image, to take a stand on this issue. If Fine Gael is truly compassionate, forward-looking and progressive it needs to realize that fur is no longer either necessary or defensible in a civilized society.
Or does it want to be dubbed the Cruelty Party?
John Fitzgerald
_______________________________
ICABS 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
Email: leo.varadkar@oir.ie, finegael@finegael.ie
Leave a comment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leovaradkar
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeoVaradkar
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
Email “Please vote in favour of a ban on 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
Contact Fine Gael TDs individually. Find names, constituencies and contact details at https://www.finegael.ie/our-people/tds/
Please contact all your local TDs and urge them to support Solidarity's bill. Contact details for TDs can be found at https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/tds/?term=/ie/oireachtas/house/dail/32