| A striking example of
a not so obvious type of animal discrimination is the
national regulation that was put into effect on 14th
February 1995. That's when the Dutch House of Representatives
seconded the motion of the then Minister of Agriculture
to ban fox rearing. Although this is a joyous fact,
we think it strange that not the entire fur farms trade
was banned. Eighty-five percent of the fur industry's skins come from animals living captive on fur factory farms. The minister thinks that animals may be
held in captivity, as long as their well being is sufficiently
guaranteed.
This
logo refers to "Infurmation". See also
Animal
Frontline.
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After a lot of research,
foxes
appeared unsuitable to be held in captivity. And also
with minks
in captivity researchers established serious welfare
problems, but it is thought that their well being may
be "improved". The minister decided therefore
to permanently legalize mink rearing.
The positive thing in our legislation is that we have
to take care of animals, but the negative aspect about
it is that animals are regarded as objects. For minks
this means that they can wait under controlled conditions
in captivity until their skins reach the right proportions
and they can be helped out of their coats.
In the summer of 1999 Dutch Representatives called on
the Minister of Agriculture to stop mink rearing as
well. |