Fur farms (Hansard, 6 December 1993)

§ Mr. Morley
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the minimum statutory size of a cage in which(a) Arctic fox and (b) mink may be kept on fur farms.

§ Mr. Soames
There is no legislation governing the minimum cage size for Arctic fox or mink.

§ Mr. Morley
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will give details of the licensing arrangements necessary for the establishment and operation of a mink farm.

§ Mr. Soames
To qualify for a licence to keep mink, the farmer must comply with the conditions of the Mink (Keeping) regulations 1975 (as amended). These specify that mink must be kept in escape-proof cages or other containers and, except when they are in transit, within an enclosure or building which satisfies the requirements of the regulations. These requirements specify the height of the enclosures, the materials to be used to construct them and the measures which must be taken to prevent escapes. Additionally, every enclosure must have an appropriate number of cage traps, in case mink should escape from their cages.
Before a licence can be renewed, the farm is inspected by ADAS, the Ministry's advisers on wildlife, to ensure the farmer complies with the requirements of the legislation.

§ Mr. Morley
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many fox farms there are in the United Kingdom.

§ Mr. Soames
The keeping of fox species is not subject to control in England, Wales and Scotland and information is not, therefore, collected on the number of farms keeping this animal. In Northern Ireland, the keeping of one species of fox, the Arctic fox, is subject to licensing under the Arctic Fox (Importation and Keeping) Regulations 1988. No licences have been issued in Northern Ireland to keep this animal since the regulations came into force.
104W

§ Mr. Morley
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps she takes to ensure the proper qualifications of those involved in the killing of farmed fur-bearing animals; and what records are kept of such persons.

§ Mr. Soames
In monitoring welfare standards on fur farms, the state veterinary services operates to the guidelines laid down in the relevant recommendation adopted by the Council of Europe. That recommendation specifies that the killing of farmed fur-bearing animals must be carried out by a competent person. It does not require records of such persons to be kept.

§ Mr. Morley
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the minimum acceptable specifications for the perimeter guard fences of mink farms.

§ Mr. Soames
The minimum acceptable specifications for the perimeter guard fences of mink farms are set out in schedule 2 to the Mink (Keeping) Regulations 1975, as amended. A copy of the regulations is in the House of Commons library.

§ Mr. Morley
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on how many occasions since 1984 an application for a licence for a mink farm has been refused; and what was the reason for each refusal.

§ Mr. Soames
The information requested is readily available only from 1987 onwards. Since then, no applications for licences to keep mink in a mink farm have been refused.

§ Mr. Morley
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment she has made of the environmental and welfare needs of farmed fur-bearing animals; and what plans she has to make provision for such needs.

§ Mr. Soames
The Farm Animal Welfare Council's review of fur farming considered the environmental and welfare needs of farmed mink and fox. It concluded that there was insufficient evidence to make specific recommendations on the keeping of fur-bearing animals and recommended that the industry should carry out further research. Research is being carried out in other countries such as Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands, whose industries are large enough to bear the costs involved. We will be pressing for the best possible welfare standards on a European Community basis.

§ Mr. Morley
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is her policy on offering free veterinary advice to fur farmers.

§ Mr. Soames
The state veterinary service provides fur farmers with free advice on animal welfare matters.
105W

§ Mr. Morley
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on how many occasions in each year since 1984 her officials or the state veterinary service have visited mink farms for the purpose of(a) assessing welfare and (b) inspecting slaughter methods.

§ Mr. Soames
Records of veterinary visits to mink farms dating back to 1984 are not available. There are currently 15 mink farms in Great Britain, each of which is visited by the state veterinary service on an annual basis.

§ Mr. Morley
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is her Department's policy towards the farming of Arctic foxes within the United Kingdom; and if she will make a statement.

§ Mr. Soames
We are seeking the best possible welfare standards for all types of fur farming on a European Community basis.