Undercover investigation into all known Irish Fur Factory Farms

national | animal rights | press release Tuesday February 17, 2009 13:34 by ALiberation - ALiberation aliberationnow at gmail dot com www.vegaplanet.org 086 3203643

Fianna Fail Minister of Agriculture Brendan Smith is failing in his duties

All known mink fur factory farms were investigated. Video footage of this was sent to ALiberation anonymously.

Video Footage:
Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pYjR-ZG2hs
Part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTx9mxcMJ7Q
Part 3:
To follow

Press Release

Contact Jim
ALiberation
www.aliberationnow@gmail.com
086 3248765

Video Footage:
Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pYjR-ZG2hs
Part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTx9mxcMJ7Q
Part 3:
To follow

History
Undercover Investigation
Legality

History
• There are 6 know mink fur factory farms operating under 5 licences in Ireland. There is also 1 known fox factory farm operating on one of the mink factory farms without licence.

• Fur factory farms are built on rights violations. Each fur factory farm exploits animals for profit.

• These animals are caged for their entire life in tiny barren wire mesh cages. Their natural behavioual needs will always be suppressed. Minks are solitary animals, who need to swim, hunt and travel. Both Artic Foxes and Red Foxes need to dig, climb, hunt and travel.

• The intensive factory conditions will cause the animals to exhibit repetitive behaviour that results in self mutilation due to stress and frustration.

• Legally, these animals have a right to freedom of movement, guaranteed by statutory law since 2000. The Department of Agriculture is legally obliged to interpret and apply this law, "according to scientific knowledge." * There has never been a committee debate about this. Instead, the department uses minimum cage size requirements from 1999 that were debunked as inadequate two years later by a European scientific committee, in the report, "The welfare of animals kept for fur production."

• Three Fianna Fail Ministers of Agriculture have failed in their duties since then. Minister Joe Walsh, Minister Mary Coughlan and the current Minister Brendan Smith. Half of the fur factory farms are located in Mary Coughlan's constituency.

• In 2005, the Green party introduced a bill to prohibit fur farming, and were supported by the opposition parties and independents, including the late Tony Gregory. The Fianna Fáil party (joined by the PDs) voted against the bill, with Brendan Smith (the current minister for Agriculture) dismissing the conclusions of the European scientific committee when they were brought to his attention during open debate in the Dáil.

• Minks and foxes are wild predators. Minks are not native to Ireland but there are now minks dispersed all over Ireland. All came from fur factory farms.

* European Communities (Protection of Animals kept for Farming Purposes) Regulations 2000, (S.I. No. 127/2000)

Undercover Investigation into fur factory farming in Ireland.

All known mink fur factory farms were investigated. Video footage of this was sent to ALiberation anonymously.

Stereotypies is prevalent on all Irish fur factory farms.
Stereotypies is when a mink performs the same motions again and again. This is due to the suppression of basic behavioural needs. Minks need to swim, travel, hunt, climb and be alone. They are a solitary wild predator.
"Mink stereotypies are not seen in the wild…"
"….stereotyping mink(s) can run up to 40 kilometres a day"
"Stereotypies, largely locomotor in nature, are widespread on mink farms. For example in a large scale study stereotypies were shown to occur in 31 to 85% of females…"
"The typical mink cage with a nest box and wire mesh floor impairs mink welfare because it does not provide for important needs."
The Welfare of Animals kept for fur production by the European Commission Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare Report 2001

If this condition occurred in humans it would be called "psychotic"

On the legality of fur farming – Housing Regulations

Since 2000, statutory law has required that minks and foxes be housed according to their behavioural needs, under the heading "Freedom of Movement." The following wording originates in the 1976 European Convention for the Protection of Animals kept for Farming Purposes, repeated verbatim in EC 98/58, S.I. 127/2000 and S.I. 14/2008:

"Where an animal is continuously or regularly tethered or confined, it must be given the space appropriate to its physiological and ethological٭ needs in accordance with established experience and scientific knowledge."

• The Department of Agriculture & Food is obliged to interpret and apply statutory welfare legislation, typically through standing committees.
• To date, there is no record of any committee discussions on how mink/fox should be housed. Instead, the Council of Europe's 1999 minimum cage sizes are used, which were found to be inadequate two years later.
• The European report on the welfare of fur-farmed animals (2001) found the current caging system "impairs mink welfare," and "the typical fox cage does not provide for important needs of foxes."
• This welfare report was brought to the current minister's attention in 2005. Minister Smith dismissed the report on the (false) grounds that "ongoing research is required."
• Despite claims that fur factory farms are monitored, the minister's office does not collect welfare inspection reports from local offices, and consequently has no information available on current mink/fox welfare problems.
• The licensing system for minks does not include any welfare measures, and explicitly requires that minks be kept in escape-proof cages.
• Anyone may breed foxes permanently in barren cages without a license.

The claim that fur factory farming in Ireland is a legitimate activity is false.

٭ Ethology is the scientific study of animal behaviour.

References:

European Convention for the Protection of Animals Kept for Farming purposes (1976):
http://conventions.coe.int/treaty/en/Treaties/Html/087.htm

S.I. 127/2000 (Protection of Animals kept for farming purposes):
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2000/en/si/0127.html

S.I. 14/2008 (Welfare of farmed animals):
http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/legislation/SI2008/SI14-2...8.PDF

The Welfare of Animals kept for fur production (2001):
http://ec.europa.eu/food/animal/welfare/international/o...n.pdf

Contact Jim
086 3248765