Campaign information: Ban fur farming in the Republic of Ireland

Compassion In World Farming - Ireland

This article is from Compassion in World Farming - Ireland’s Newsletter Feb/March 2006

KILLING TIME ON IRISH FUR FARMS

Mass killing of mink raises serious concerns

Each year, about 140,000 farmed mink are reared and killed in the Republic of Ireland. Recent information provided by the Agriculture Minister has raised some serious welfare concerns about killing procedures.

Killing normally takes place on the farm. According to the Minister, mink are gassed in carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide, with 50 to 70 animals killed together in a gassing box. We are concerned to learn that farm operatives who carry out the killing do not have to undertake any formal slaughter training. Also, there is no information available on how long it takes the animals to die, which is a basic measure of welfare at slaughter.

CIWF believes that killing mink by gassing may not always be quick. A European Commission scientific report says multiple killing in a gassing box can lead to animals being killed in part by suffocation, and that individual gassing is more acceptable. Most importantly, the report says that the killing of mink with carbon dioxide gas should be avoided because mink find it aversive and death can be slow at lower concentrations (e.g. at 70% concentration, death takes 15 minutes or more).

CIWF is intensifying its campaign to ban fur farming in the Republic of Ireland. Whilst fur farming continues, we are calling on the Minister to ensure all fur animals are killed individually and under strict supervision of a vet.

In January, RTE TV’s The Big Bite looked at fur farming and showed some of the footage of mink and foxes on Irish fur farms filmed undercover by CIWF and Respect for Animals. CIWF-Ireland’s Director, Mary-Anne Bartlett, was interviewed by David McWilliams.

Action: Please write to Agriculture Minister, Mary Coughlan, Agriculture House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Urge her to ban fur farming immediately. Fur farming is already illegal in the UK and Austria and is being phased out in Italy. Fox farming is being phased out in the Netherlands and Sweden.

Article by:
M. A. Bartlett
Director
Compassion in World Farming - Ireland