The images, which will be made public on the 9 th of January 2017 by One Voice, were filmed by people with access to the French mink farms' premises. For the animals, luxury is a long way away, as they suffer in their dirty cages. A vile porridge is deposited on the cage roof of their pathetic 'nest', where the remains are left to rot, sometimes for some time. The floor is comprised of painful cage bars for their paws, where their excrement is allowed to fall through and accumulate in sometimes incredible quantities. The water seen running around their cages carries the effluent with it, provoking concern for the environment, as well as the hygiene questions raised by the corpses discovered in the grass… For a coat, up to 80 minks need to be killed, and it is estimated that a farm of 1,500 females generate 120 tonnes of manure a year, plus a tonne of phosphorus2. 200,000 minks are killed in France every year.
Whilst the farmers make a mockery of "creating life" and guaranteeing the well-being of the animals, the minks that we see in these farms are denied water and any form of activity, despite being semi-aquatic predators. Their only outlet is craziness, which is expressed through stereotypical behaviours. And when the time comes to discharge them from their sad existence, they are brutally snatched and thrown one on top of another into a container…
If we believe the breeder's line, captivity spanning several generations has removed their desire for freedom. So how can we explain their attempts to escape when they have the chance? The biological reality of these animals is the need to live in liberty, near a watercourse, the need to hunt, to fish, to hide. No living being is designed to live imprisoned. We don't adapt to suffering. Two minks who were filmed in a desperate attempt to escape were both caught and brutalised by the dog on the premises. But how many manage to escape and enter the feral population which has been recorded across France? They are not native, their introduction upsets the ecosystems. Ethical management plans exist but in order to be effective, no more individuals can be imported… So more farms.
Muriel Arnal, One Voice's president declares: "Any notion of humanity seems to have deserted the passageways of these farms.The individuals who are raised there are sentient beings and possess an incontestable desire to live. But they are continually denied their identity. Their lives are comprised of misery and torment. It is not right that the luxury sector continues to endorse such practices. Real beauty can't exist without ethics. We are asking for the immediate ban of fur farms in France."
All of the observations are available in a report written by One Voice. A video has also been made following the investigation.
All information collated is available on the campaign website:
www.VisonsLeRespect/en
(1) Source : Well Fur
(2) Source : Nasi, 1977, in : Guégan er Rougeot (1987) : Le vison, techniques d'élevage et rentabilité, TAVI, 1987 (The mink, farming and profitability techniques)
