Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 9:

In page 14, between lines 2 and 3, to insert the following:“(2) A person shall be guilty of an offence if he keeps animals solely or primarily—

(a) for slaughter (whether by himself or another) for the value of their fur, or

(b) for breeding progeny for such slaughter including keeping animals or (as the case may be) breeding them for sale for slaughter for the value of their fur.

(3) This Act requires:

(a) the mandatory registration of current fur farmers, owners of farms used for fur farming,

(b) the Minister to appoint an official to make mandatory inspections on a regular basis of fur farming establishments to inspect the conditions of fur farms and ensure that humane practices are used according to the killing and eradication of animals,

(c) that only certified chemicals and processes be used to kill and eradicate animals used for the purposes of fur and ones which are environmentally friendly and do not risk contamination, pollution or adverse effects on the surrounding natural environment.”.

We debated this issue on Committee Stage. There are two aspects to it, the first of which relates to fur farming per se. Many of us have made known our views and how opposed we are to fur farming. At this stage many countries in Europe have banned fur farming, the latest being the Netherlands, the third largest fur producer after China and Denmark.

We also see a phasing out of fur farming in other countries and that would have a been a sensible approach to take here.

I also discussed before the way animals are gassed. The second part of my amendment relates to the welfare of the mink. The Minister says he wants greater regulation, so fur farming will not be banned in this Bill. Therefore, there is a need for much stronger controls over how the mink are held and how they are gassed. As I pointed out on Committee Stage, there are serious issues for the environment. Fur has a higher impact in respect of 17 of the 18 environmental themes, including climate change and toxic emissions. The climate change impact of 1 kg of mink fur is five times greater than that of the highest scoring textile wool, owing to the feeding requirements and the nitrous oxide emissions from mink manure.

There are two issues in question here. I would love to see fur farming banned and do not understand why we must retain it in this day and age. We could follow the good example of other countries in Europe and even if we do not ban it outright, consider phasing it out. In the meantime, we must show more concern for the welfare of the mink while they are being kept in captivity and about the way they are gassed. There is also an issue with regard to mink escaping from captivity and damaging bird life in their area.

See this speech in context