Go Clean Go Green (Blog)
Mink farm targeted by animal rights group
By: Joe Barrett
Thursday, March 20, 2008
http://gocleangogreen.blogspot.com/2008/03/greenvibrations-mink-farm-targeted-by.htmlGARDAÍ in Portlaoise are investigating an attack by animal rights
activists at a mink farm in Vicarstown after a large number of mink
were released from their pens over the weekend.
A garda source told the Laois Nationalist sometime over the weekend
the mink farm was accessed when someone broke a lock from a gate,
released over 500 mink and sprayed graffiti around the farmyard.
Una Heffernan of Vasa Limited which owns the farm, said while the mink
had been released from their cages they were contained in the holding
compound of the yard and none had escaped into the countryside.
Ms Hefferan said graffiti sprayed around the buildings was quite
specific and gave the name of the Animal Liberation Front (ALF).
She was unable to say whether this group has any connections with
another group the Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade who have held
protests outside her farm on a number of occasions.
This is not the first time the mink farm has been targeted in such a
way. About five years ago animal rights activists released about 50
mink into the wild. These were quickly rounded up.
To date no one has ever been arrested, charged or convicted with any
illegal activity in attempting to release mink from the farm.
There have been sporadic protests outside the farm over the past
number of years by the Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade venting
their opposition to the farm's activities.
Speaking to the Laois Nationalist yesterday (Tuesday) from a protest
line outside the Department of Agriculture in Dublin Laura Broxson, a
spokesperson for this group, denied any of her members was involved in
any way in the weekend's events.
She said her group has no connections to the Animal Liberation Front.
"This is the first we've heard about this. We're not a group that gets
involved in any illegal activities. We do however support direct legal
action. We demonstrate and distribute publications opposing the fur
trade and would not condone last weekend's actions.
"We can understand though why some people are inclined to take matters
into their own hands in this way. There is a lot of frustration at the
slowness of the Government in coming forward with legislation to
outlaw the fur trade in the country.
"Some people see this type of action as similar to freeing slaves.
Those underground activists see mink farmers as locking up wild
animals against their nature in confined spaces."
Ms Broxson said her group intends organising "an awareness" day in
Portlaoise in May or June which will be followed by a protest outside
the mink farm and she is asking local people opposed to the fur trade
to join them in their day of action.
I doubt many of these Self Righteous Twists ever stopped and figured out that leather is fur with the hair removed.