MEMBERS OF the Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade yesterday handed in a petition signed by 5,000 people seeking the closure of the State's fur farms to the Dublin office of Minister for Agriculture Mary Coughlan.
There are three mink farms in Donegal and one each in Kerry, Sligo and Laois. The Department of Agriculture regulates these businesses.
The group, which is affiliated to the national animal rights organisation, collected the signatures in Dublin over the last fortnight.
Laura Broxson, a spokeswoman for the group, said the mink fur farms should be closed down.It was not known how many fox fur farms existed, she said.
"In the mink farms, a total of 150,000 animals are killed each year. They are licensed by the department and we hold Mary Coughlan personally responsible for letting this cruelty continue.
"There is also at least one fox fur farm, where about 300 animals are murdered annually. Fox farms do not have to be licensed, which is why the exact number of farms is uncertain," she said.
"The killing method for foxes is anal electrocution, and for minks it is gassing. Because 40 minks are gassed together, some are conscious when they are skinned," she added. "We think it is disgraceful that there are fur farms and we want a ban," she added.
She said the group would keep protesting at the department's office while the promised legislation on fur farming was drafted.