International

The main legislative chamber of the Dutch National Parliament voted on Tuesday to back a joint SP-Labour Party proposal that raising mink for their fur be banned in the Netherlands from 2018. The new law gives mink farmers almost ten years to run down their businesses. The Dutch political system allows political groups to bring forward legislative proposals which must then, of course, be carried by a majority. This is the first time ever that such an initiative from the SP has been successful.

Having proposed the initiative on behalf of the SP, Krista van Velzen said that she was pleased that there had at last been a breakthrough on this long-lived dossier. "At last we will see an end to the gassing of five million minks each year."

Together with co-proposer Harm Waalkens, Van Velzen will now bring the initiative before the Senate, which must now confirm its adoption by the parliament as a whole. "It's obvious that the Dutch people are at one with a majority of their parliamentary representatives that in this day and age animals should not be reared simply for their fur. Hopefully many other countries will now follow our example."

A first step towards this was taken on Tuesday when a motion asking Agriculture Minister Gerda Verburg to make efforts towards a European ban on the raising of mink was also carried. In addition, a motion from another Socialist Party MP, Arda Gerkens, for compulsory labelling of products containing fur won majority support.