§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many fur farms are licensed; if he will list their locations by county; and if he will make a statement. [111014]
§ Mr. Morley[holding answer 21 February 2000]: As at 16 February 2000, there were the following mink farms in England:
County Number of licensed mink farms Cornwall 1 Dorset 1 Hampshire 1 Isle of Wight 1 Lancashire 5 Northumberland 1 South Yorkshire 1 Staffordshire 1 West Yorkshire 1 Total 13 As you know, the Government introduced a Bill on 22 November to fulfil its pre-election pledge to prohibit fur farming. The Fur Farming (Prohibition) Bill will prohibit in England and Wales the keeping of animals solely or primarily for slaughter for the value of their fur. I understand that the Scottish Executive will be introducing their own legislation to ban fur farming in Scotland.