Three mink farmers to share up to €8m in payout over fur ban

Three mink farmers are in line for compensation in a package of up to €8m next year as the Government moves ahead with a ban on fur farming.

The farmers will get compensation because they have to close down their operations, lose asset value, make redundancy payments and pay demolition fees.

In a memo to be considered by Cabinet ministers today, Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue will proceed with the banning of fur farming.

He will be seeking approval from ministerial colleagues for the Animal Health and Welfare (Amendment) Bill 2021, which seeks to ban fur farming in Ireland as well as to provide for a scheme of compensation for the small number of fur farms which are still in operation.

There are approximately 120,000 mink on three farms in counties Laois, Donegal and Kerry.

The new legislation will include a ban on the farming of cats, chinchillas, dogs, foxes, mink and weasels (including stoats) for their fur or skin.

The fur farming prohibition is not expected to begin until early in 2022, allowing the farmers to see out the 2021 season.

The commitment to prohibit the breeding of mink solely for their fur came to light when chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan raised concerns that mink may carry a coronavirus variant.

While there were outbreaks of Covid-19 on farms in Denmark, Greece and the Netherlands in 2020, Irish mink were tested and the variant strain was not detected.

Workers across fur farms are mainly seasonal but there are approximately 10 to 15 permanent staff at the three farms, rising to double that number around the pelting season.

The Department of Agriculture believes there are “not more than 30” individuals who work in mink farms, including seasonal, short-term workers.

Export values have recently been running at about €2m per annum, but revenues have been steadily declining.

All the pelts produced in Ireland go to Helsinki and Stockholm.

Government gave the green light to ban fur farming this summer, a measure that was contained in the Programme for Government and was seen as a win for the Green Party.