Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Question 450: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the number of minks, red foxes and arctic foxes that were killed on fur factory farms here in the years 2006, 2007 and 2008; and the body from which he sourced these figures. [35324/09]

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Question 451: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the number of minks, red foxes and arctic foxes that were confined for breeding on fur factory farms here in each of the years 2006, 2007 and 2008; the body from which he sourced these figures. [35325/09]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 450 and 451 together.

My Department is not legally required to collect statistics relating to mink and fox farming. While the industry supply figures of the number of breeding animals and the number of mink slaughtered that year on a particular licensed mink farm on the date of my Department's inspection, these figures are not verified at inspection. There is no legislation requiring the licensing of fox farms; there is one known fox farm, operated in conjunction with a fur farm.