Dáil protest demands ban on fur-farming

21/03/2005 - 12:54:41
Animal welfare groups have mounted a protest outside the Dáil today as part of a campaign to secure a ban on fur-farming in Ireland.

The protest was arranged to raise awareness of the matter ahead of a Dáil debate tomorrow evening on legislation designed to prohibit the rearing and killing of animals for their fur.

Campaigners said six mink farms were currently exterminating around 153,000 animals in Ireland every year, many of whom spend their entire lives in tiny cages.

Speaking outside the Dáil today Mary Anne Bartlett from Compassion in World Farming said: "We feel fur-farming would be one of the most serious animal welfare problems in the Republic of Ireland at the minute."