Letter in Irish Examiner (October 4th)
It was heartening to see Ruth Coppinger introduce the Solidarity Bill to prohibit fur farming in the Dail this week.
Mink are semi aquatic animals and in their natural habitat spend most of their short lives in the proximity of waterways. Their partially webbed feet facilitate copious swimming and diving in rivers and lakes.
When farmed, the mink are deprived of this freedom of movement in the wild open countryside that is their birthright. Instead they find themselves confined in small wire cages piled side by side and on top of each other. In these cramped, unnatural conditions the welfare of the animals is severely compromised: They engage in self mutilation and aggressive chewing of their own fur, and a high percentage of them experience a frenzied need to break free from captivity.
After six months of this hell on earth, the mink are gassed to death with Carbon Monoxide and stripped of their fur. More than 200,000 face this horrific ordeal every year.
A ban on fur farming was part of a Programme for Government between Fianna Fail and the Green Party in 2009, but that government fell before the legislation could be enacted, and the incoming Fine Gael-Labour coalition allowed fur farming to continue.
Several EU nations have already outlawed the practice, including Britain, Germany, Austria, Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, The Netherlands, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and Norway.
In considering its response to the Solidarity Bill, the government will hopefully bear these precedents in mind and also note that EU law is no longer on the side of fur farming. An EU Directive on the protection of animals kept for farming purposes (98/58/EC) states that “no animal shall be kept for farming purposes unless it can reasonably be expected, on the basis of its genotype or phenotype; that it can be kept without detrimental effect on its health or welfare.”
The passing of the Solidarity Bill, or an equivalent initiative from the government; would bring long overdue relief to Ireland’s captive mink population. Mink coats, severed tails, and fancy fur trimmings may tantalize, but the cost to the animals is just too high.
Cruelty should never be in fashion!
John Fitzgerald
Campaign for the Abolition of Cruel Sports
Co. Kilkenny
* The smaller Irish opposition parties have pledged to back the bill to ban fur farming, but Fianna Fail, the largest opposition party, has yet to decide its stance. FF backing would ensure the success of the Bill, but if FF votes with the government against the bill, it won't have sufficient backing to succeed.
You can help hugely by emailing "Please support a ban on cruel fur farming" (and any additional message you wish to add) to ALL Fianna Fáil TDs. Here are all their email addresses. You can email them separately or all of them at once:
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