|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FUR COMMISSION USA PRESS RELEASE, JANUARY 30, 2001
Dutch Government to Pursue Fur Farm Ban
Farmers Accuse Minister of Deception
On Jan. 26, the Council of Ministers in the Netherlands backed a proposal from Minister of Agriculture L.J. Brinkhorst to ban the raising of animals for their fur, despite encouraging farmers to invest heavily to improve the welfare of their livestock over the last five years.
Brinkhorst's bill will now go to the Dutch parliament's First House for discussion. His proposal is to phase out fur farming over 10 years. During the phase-out period, farmers would not be allowed to open new farms, or to increase the numbers of animals on existing farms. No provision has been made for farmers to receive compensation.
"Because of the agreement of the Council of Ministers, around 220 farms have, in a stone-hard way, been deceived by their own government," said the Dutch Fur Breeders Association (NFE) in a Jan. 29 press release in Dutch.
"Since 1995, Dutch mink farmers have, in dialogue with this government, successfully invested over 60 million guilders to further improve the welfare of their mink," it said.
The NFE also pointed out that Brinkhorst himself recently stated there was no reason to ban mink farming on welfare grounds.
The NFE is still hopeful that Brinkhorst's bill will stall in the First Chamber because of the dangerous precedent it would set. But if the First Chamber backs the bill, "then the fact is in the Netherlands that: who shouts in the loudest way, is right and takes away [others'] right to exist," said the NFE.
Dutch breeders produce around 2.8 million mink pelts a year, destined mainly for the Italian market.
The government proposal to ban fur farming follows a similar resolution adopted by Dutch deputies on July 1, 1999.
See also:
Finnish Farmers Shocked by Dutch Government's Plan to Ban Fur Farming Finnish Fur Breeders' Association press release, Jan. 26, 2001.
Double Dutch: Debating the Morality of Mink Farming, FCUSA commentary, Jan. 12, 2000.
Dutch Parliament Seeks Mink Farm Ban, FCUSA press release, July 2, 1999.
Press Kit Special Feature : Euro-Watch
For further information contact: Teresa Platt, Executive Director, Fur Commission USA, PMB 506, 826 Orange Avenue, Coronado, CA 92118-2698 USA, (619) 575-0139, (619) 272-2467/fax, furfarmers@aol.com, www.furcommission.com.
To take a cyber-tour of a fur farm, visit Fur Commission USA's Fur on Film at http://www.furcommission.com/video/index.htm
© 1998-2010 Fur Commission USA