The Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue has presented the draft legislation that will finally ban cruel fur farming in Ireland.
Introducing the Animal Health and Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021 on Thursday (4 November 2021), Minister McConalogue stated: “While fur farming was once legal and socially acceptable in most countries, there is now a broad consensus among veterinary and other scientific experts that certain animals should not be farmed for their fur or skin because of serious animal welfare concerns that cannot be mitigated. There are also increasing societal concerns in this regard.”
He said that Section 71B of the Bill “contains the prohibition on fur and skin farming and creates a new criminal offence of engaging in fur or skin farming in contravention of the section.”
“The definition of fur or skin farming is confined to the breeding, rearing or keeping of specified animals solely or primarily for the value of their fur or skin," he added. "This prohibition will therefore not apply to animals farmed primarily for other purposes.“
The legislation will force Ireland’s three remaining fur farm to shut down. An estimated 100,000 mink have been killed at the hellholes every year. After six months of permanent confinement in cages, the mink are pulled out and mercilessly thrown into a box of Carbon Monoxide where they are gassed to death before the fur is pulled from their bodies.
During a discussion in the Dail, TDs welcomed the bill and condemned fur farming.
Some of the key comments:
Matt Carthy TD (Sinn Féin, Cavan-Monaghan): “Sinn Féin supports a prohibition on fur farming and as such we will be supporting this Bill”
Patricia Ryan TD (Sinn Féin, Kildare South): “While fur farming was once legal and socially acceptable in most countries there is now a broad consensus that certain animals should not be farmed for their fur because of serious animal welfare concerns that cannot be addressed. There are just three active farms in the State that breed and rear mink for the purposes of pelting for the fur industry. The tide is turning against fur farming. It is already banned in Austria, Croatia, the Netherlands, Britain and the Czech Republic. It will be illegal in Norway from February 2025. We must ensure this legislation is dealt with swiftly. In December each year, about 80% of mink are killed, leaving about 20% as breeding stock. This will leave about 24,000 mink in the country in the new year. Currently, there are 120,000. We must ensure that this year is the last breeding season. There are alternatives to fur for those who want them. There is a new material to the market called Koba Fur which is a bio-based fur made not from petroleum oil but from oil from vegetable crops. There is recycled faux fur. Making use of what we already have and reducing landfill and pollution is critical to an environmentally friendly future.”
Martin Browne TD (Sinn Féin, Tipperary): "I am sure many people watching on will not be sorry to see the end of fur farming in this State. It is a practice that has faced opposition for many years now and finally the days of fur farming and the slaughter of these animals for their skin is coming to an end. The existence of these types of farms has not settled well with me so I will not mourn the loss of fur farms to the State. Indeed, Sinn Féin as a party has been opposed to the farming of mink since the 2007 Ard-Fheis so therefore we as a party and I will be supporting this Bill...I want to ask about the future when it comes to this industry overall. Given that we are banning the fur industry here in Ireland, is there any intention, or have any plans been made, to tackle the industry in general? By this I mean dealing with the importation of fur of this nature. Does the Department intend to ban fur for importation as well or does our opposition to the practice end with the banning of the industry here? I support this Bill and welcome the fact that fur farming in this country has been prohibited. I also note it makes provision to also ban fur farming that does not currently occur in Ireland involving other animals, and for significant penalties.”
Réada Cronin TD (Sinn Féin, Kildare North): “I too welcome this Bill and Sinn Féin will be supporting it. It is fair to say there is widespread and growing unease at the use of animal furs in clothing and the reduction of an animal to a pelt, a fashion accessory or a symbol of wealth and status. Growing up, I remember the protests on fur on the catwalks and the banners that said "It takes 50 dumb animals to make this coat. But only one to wear it". It was stark but effective. As a society, we no longer have to rely on animal skins for warmth or protection. Fur is a luxury we can no longer afford in terms of public health, animal health and animal welfare. Worldwide, there are concerns about the intensive conditions of animals farmed for fur and a growing sense that it is no longer acceptable. It is not just a case of less is more and fewer are better; but none at all is ideal.”
Ivana Bacik TD (Labour Party, Dublin Bay South): “I am glad to speak for the Labour Party in support of this bill and in support of the key principle and purpose of this Bill, namely, to introduce a statutory prohibition on fur farming. Speaking for the Labour Party, and speaking myself as a long-standing advocate for animal rights, I am really glad to see this legislation come before us. It is receiving a very broad welcome, which is really good to see. There is a growing acceptance of the need for such a prohibition...I am very glad to speak in support of this Bill and to reiterate my support, and that of the Labour Party, for this important measure, which will see us finally move to a prohibition on fur farming in the interests of animal health and animal welfare and animal rights”
Thomas Gould TD (Sinn Féin, Cork North-Central): “As my colleague said, we will be supporting this Bill because it is long past time that mink farming was outlawed. It is a cruel and unnecessary practice so we will be supporting the Bill.”
Thank you to all who joined us in appealing to Minister McConalogue to include rabbits in the list of animals covered by the upcoming ban. We are pleased to note that rabbits are now among the animals listed in the Bill:
(a) a dog, fox, jackal, wolf and all other members of the Canidae family,
(b) a domestic cat, wild feline and all other members of the Felidae family
(c) a hare, rabbit and all other members of the Leporidae family,
(d) a mink, weasel, stoat and all other Rodentia,
(e) a raccoon, olingo and all other members of the Procyonidae family,
(f) a civet and all other members of the Viverridae family,
(g) a reptile, and
(h) any other animal or class of animal designated in an order made by the Minister under subsection (2).
Read a copy of the Animal Health and Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021
https://data.oireachtas.ie/ie/oireachtas/bill/2021/136/eng/initiated/b13621d.pdf
SEE ALSO:
Cabinet approves introduction of legislation to ban fur farming
https://www.rte.ie/news/politics/2021/0622/1229593-politics-ireland/
Victims of Ireland's cruel fur farming
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=artr7qwCLLk
Mink screaming: Tell Irish Government to shut down fur farms
https://youtu.be/62P0saq6DO0
A retired Irish fur farmer has revealed on the Claire Byrne show on RTE Radio 1 that fur farming was introduced into Ireland by two vets. Later in the show he admitted that he broke the necks of mink with his hands
https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3439515122830688&id=463547953760768
Paul Murphy TD asks Agriculture Minister about “plans for banning fur farming”
https://www.facebook.com/banbloodsports/posts/3997668440348684
Jennifer Whitmore TD urges Taoiseach to "move immediately to ban fur farming in Ireland”
https://www.facebook.com/banbloodsports/videos/1142900706112158/
"We've drafted a bill to ban fur farming in Ireland": Congratulations to Solidarity TDs Ruth Coppinger and Paul Murphy on their announcement today (12 July 2018)
https://www.facebook.com/banbloodsports/videos/1750869355028615/