Mink farm targeted by animal rights group

national | animal rights | other press

Thursday March 20, 2008 12:09

by Laura Broxson - CAFT Ireland / National Animal Rights Association

caftireland at gmail dot com

PO Box 11019, Dublin 2

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Mink farm targeted by animal rights group
By: Joe Barrett

GARDAÍ in Portlaoise are investigating an attack by animal rights activists at a mink farm in Vicarstown after a large number of mink were released from their pens over the weekend.

A garda source told the Laois Nationalist sometime over the weekend the mink farm was accessed when someone broke a lock from a gate, released over 500 mink and sprayed graffiti around the farmyard.

Una Heffernan of Vasa Limited which owns the farm, said while the mink had been released from their cages they were contained in the holding compound of the yard and none had escaped into the countryside.

Ms Hefferan said graffiti sprayed around the buildings was quite specific and gave the name of the Animal Liberation Front (ALF).

She was unable to say whether this group has any connections with another group the Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade who have held protests outside her farm on a number of occasions.

This is not the first time the mink farm has been targeted in such a way. About five years ago animal rights activists released about 50 mink into the wild. These were quickly rounded up.

To date no one has ever been arrested, charged or convicted with any illegal activity in attempting to release mink from the farm.

There have been sporadic protests outside the farm over the past number of years by the Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade venting their opposition to the farm's activities.
Speaking to the Laois Nationalist yesterday (Tuesday) from a protest line outside the Department of Agriculture in Dublin Laura Broxson, a spokesperson for this group, denied any of her members was involved in any way in the weekend's events.

She said her group has no connections to the Animal Liberation Front.

"This is the first we've heard about this. We're not a group that gets involved in any illegal activities. We do however support direct legal action. We demonstrate and distribute publications opposing the fur trade and would not condone last weekend's actions.

"We can understand though why some people are inclined to take matters into their own hands in this way. There is a lot of frustration at the slowness of the Government in coming forward with legislation to outlaw the fur trade in the country.

"Some people see this type of action as similar to freeing slaves. Those underground activists see mink farmers as locking up wild animals against their nature in confined spaces."

Ms Broxson said her group intends organising "an awareness" day in Portlaoise in May or June which will be followed by a protest outside the mink farm and she is asking local people opposed to the fur trade to join them in their day of action.

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Comments (10 of 10)

Well done!

by Catlady

Wed Mar 26, 2008 17:08

Well done to the ALF activists who did this.

Mink are an ongoing disaster for Irish native wildlife

by Ecologist

Thu Mar 27, 2008 01:34

I don't agree with fur farms but releasing these animals into the wild is doing untold damage to Irelands biodiversity particulary breeding waterfowl and waders. Increasing scientific evidence suggests mink are the prime reason for the near extinction of the Common Scoter(species of duck) as a breeding bird in Ireland and severe contraction in the numbers and breeding range of a number of other species such as the Coot, Black headed Gull, Mallard etc.

Mink are an American species which are not native to this country and were first found in the wild as escapees from fur farms here in the 70's. Since then they have spread pretty much countrywide and are reeking havoc even in the most remote of our valuable wetland habitats.

escaping mink

by anm

Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:40

Mink farms should be shut down then, for that reason alone

non-native animals

by cat lover

Thu Mar 27, 2008 21:36

Anybody who is concerned about the native wildlife in Ireland being threatened by mink should now voice their objections to the Minister for Agriculture, Mary Coughlan at the Dept of Agri, Kildare street, Dublin 2 because she issues the licenses to the mink farmers to breed the mink in the first place. This issue is at the moment open to submission so now is the time, after all any mink currently in the wild will die off eventually but as long as more are bred they will always exist here, blame the greedy fur farmers and the mininster.

The poor animals dont belong in tiny cages any more than they belong in this country and its not their fault they are here.

comment

by suzi - national animal rights association

Tue Apr 22, 2008 10:01

i get what ecologist is sayin but its not animal rights activists fault that the mink to were brought to ireland in the first place it was the fur farmers that were lookin to exploit them for money. yeah its bad that now animals that shudnt be here are roaming irish countryside but clearly ethical people werent going to sit idilly by while the dept. of agriculture is takin their time to stop the fur industry in ireland. like the comment above says its mary coughlan you shud talkin to.
well done to the irish ALF!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mink on the loose

by keeper

Tue Apr 22, 2008 16:45

By releasing wild Mink into the countryside the ecology balance has now been upset.

It is simply an irresponsible act of terrorism on the wildlife of this land.

The people who have done this are no better than the Mink farmers themselves.

It simply is not good enough to point to a government minister and say "This is your fault!"

As a cat lover myself it means that you have put my pets lives and all other small creatures lives at risk too!

For that you are to blame, unless of course we take a leaf out of your book and blame your parents ?

I believe that what you should have done, was taken them to your home and given them free range of your house or flat. You would then realise that they are not the pleasant little furry animals that you erroneously believe them to be.

alf

by elf

Tue Apr 22, 2008 18:09

released mink reek havoc particularly with native birds. while ive no time for the mink farmers themselves those who are supposed to be acting in the concern of animals here ensured much more death to animals than the mink themselves. the farmers were going to brutally kill a number of mink, those who released them have killed beyond that number.

did you read???????

Wed Apr 30, 2008 16:31

"Una Heffernan of Vasa Limited which owns the farm, said while the mink had been released from their cages they were contained in the holding compound of the yard and none had escaped into the countryside."

Considering none escaped into the countryside, I fail to see how the activists caused the loss of life and ecological damage that people here have mentioned.

Elf, Vasa kill 40,000 mink per year, every year and will continue to do so if left to their own devices. And that's just one farm. The mink in the Irish countryside are there as a direct result of fur farming. That is fact.

Keeper, the domestic cat you love so much (and I love them too) is actually the worlds best predator. Unlike most animals, even the big cats, they will hunt and kill when not hungry, and will basically attack anything they think they can get away with, size wise. They have the widest range of prey of any hunting animal (apart perhaps from man). So maybe next time you snuggle up to your lovely moggy you will spare a thought for the "small creatures" they hunt everytime they venture outside. As for a mink attacking your cats.... I don't know what sort of cats you have, but all six of mine are well able to fend off an alsation with a stare! Do you believe is it ok to farm cats for their skins??? Or is it wrong, simply because YOU like cats??? And ok to do so with mink because YOU don't like them???

Info on fur farming

by Fur Farmers in USA - Fur Commission USA

Tue Jun 16, 2009 23:52

See www.furcommission.com for info on the source of natural fiber fur for cold weather clothing.

A Passing Comment

by Mr Man

Wed Jun 17, 2009 12:43

"Considering none escaped into the countryside, I fail to see how the activists caused the loss of life and ecological damage that people here have mentioned."

Well thankfully it seems that the ALF were incompetent this time because surely there is no point in 'liberating' minks if they just stay within a fenced area to be put back in cages anytime. It is disingenuous to suggest that mink farms in ireland = mink in countryside when in actuality it is irresponsible activists that released them.

Catlady;

Cats, while good hunters, are part of the ecological balance in Ireland and for the most part have their food intake subsidised by owners and hunting reduced by having bells, kept indoors at night etc . Mink have a much wider palette than cats and a drastically higher metabolic rate requiring a larger intake of food. Mink DO attack cats, a good friend of mine lost 2 to them in West Clare.

I support closing the farms or forcing them to have greatly increased conditions, but releasing the mink into the wild is even worse.

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Mink farm targeted by animal rights group

Comments (10 of 10)