Fur farms are on their way out and the practice of breeding animals for their skins will be ended in Ireland, the Cabinet will decide today.

Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue is expected to bring a memo to Government on the prohibition of fur farming in Ireland.

A ban had been a major demand for the Green Party on entering Government.

There are approximately 120,000 mink on three farms in counties Laois, Donegal and Kerry. The three farmers will be compensated for closing down their operations.

A Government source indicated the decision has been “partly” influenced by the discovery in Denmark last year that a new strain of Covid-19 had emerged in mink, leading to the controlled culling of entire stocks.

Mr McConalogue is seeking approval from his ministerial colleagues to implement a prohibition on fur farming in Ireland within a short timeframe. This will allow the current breeding season to end, with no more commercial mink in Ireland from around the middle of next year.

Ministers will also be asked to approve a scheme of compensation for the fur farmers. They will be compensated on the basis of asset value and earnings, with redundancy payments and demolition fees to be considered in the package, the Irish Independent understands.

On being given the go-ahead, Mr McConalogue will seek early pre-legislative scrutiny of the new provisions, allowing for the law to be put through the Oireachtas in the autumn.

The prohibition on fur farming will be provided for in an amendment to the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013. The amendment is likely to include a provision that cats, chinchillas, dogs, foxes, mink and weasels (including stoats) shall not be farmed for their fur or skin.