In October 2009, the Green Party’s Programme for Government included a phasing-out of Ireland’s fur farms. The six mink farms that operate in the Republic would have three years to wind down and would be closed by October 2012.

The ban was widely welcomed by animal rights campaigners across the country. Bernie Wright of The Alliance for Animal Rights said it was a major victory. ‘Thank you Green Party and thank you John Gormley’, her statement read.

Compassion in World Farming’s director Mary-Anne Bartlett also congratulated the Green Party on its commitment to improving the protection of animals.

England and Wales banned fur farming in 2000. At the time there were 11 farms left in the UK. Scotland and Northern Ireland followed suit, with fur farms deemed illegal since 2003.

There are currently almost 6,000 fur farms in the EU, producing 64% of the world’s fur. Mink are farmed in great numbers in northern Europe, with Denmark being the biggest producer in the world. China, the Netherlands and the US are the next biggest.

The American Mink ‘Mustela Vison’, pictured above, was introduced to Ireland in the 1950s for fur farming purposes. It is a semi-aquatic member of the weasel family and is highly efficient as both a hunter and an escapee.

Descendants of escapees are now found feral in every county in Ireland. They are excellent swimmers and do huge damage to poultry, native wildlife and fisheries.

Methods used to control the feral population seem to have little overall affect. The mink invade the territory of the native stoat, pine martin and otter.

Mink breed in February/ March and the pregnancy can last 40 to 80 days. The female will give birth to three to five young or ‘kits’, which are weaned within eight weeks. These kits will travel to establish their own exclusive territory in late August or September.

The minks’ effect on native bio-diversity has been widely studied in Scotland. One such study over 10 years shows ground-nesting seabirds suffered a devastating decline due to mink predation.

Like foxes, they don’t just kill what they need to eat but will kill all they can. Evidence suggests that other ground nesters such as the corncrake are victims.

On top of the change of habitat and pollution that threaten our bio-diversity, the threat posed by mink requires serious action. Thankfully, the fur farms will soon be gone but the tidying-up operation may take some time. Perhaps a cull or government bounty for killed specimens would be some help.