A GROUP of animal
lovers demonstrated in Donegal recently calling on
the Agriculture Minister to ban fur farming.
The group called ALiberation appealed to the
Donegal-based Minister to insert a ban on fur
farming in the Animal Welfare Bill, currently being
drafted.
They said she was the person "with the most power"
to end fur farming in Ireland.
A Liberation
spokesperson Edmund Long said: "It's so cruel.
Seventy animals are killed for each fur coat -
killed for something nobody needs. It's
unbelievable."
He said the group got a strong reaction during their
recent protest.
"There is a feeling of disbelief among people here
that something like fur
fur farming is
happening in County Donegal. I've met people today
who are very angry about that.
"We hope that Minister Coughlan will now listen. She
needs to end this animal cruelty and outlaw Irish
fur farms."
Fur farming is currently legal in the Republic of
Ireland, where there exists a number of operations
farming mink and fox.
According to Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) the
animals are reared highly intensively in small cages
before being killed at about six months for their
fur pelts.
"The pelts are exported for sale on the
international fur market, to be used by the fashion
industry," according to CIWF.
