Poland: Kaczyński wants to ban fur farming
After the publication of undercover research carried out by the animal rights organisation Otwarte Klatki at Poland's largest fur farm, PiS boss Jarosław Kaczyński is backing a draft law aimed at banning fur farming. But because the fur industry feeds thousands of Poles, the plan has led to such a heated dispute within the ruling right-wing coalition that it's very survival is at stake.
Minks must not come before people
The initiative threatens to destroy a successful economic sector, Gazeta Wyborcza criticises:
“It can't be that such laws are passed on the dictates of a single man, namely Jarosław Kaczyński! MEPs, ministers, the prime minister and the president must take responsibility for this! ... This is not about a button factory that can quickly convert to produce something else in the event of an economic downturn. ... On the one hand there are the unhappy animals (because they're unlikely to be happy in cages, even if they're well looked after), and on the other hand there's the income and livelihood of several thousand people. You can decide in favour of the animals, but the people must get something in return. What, how much, and when, requires serious thought.”
Unfortunately animal rights are not self-evident
Polityka criticises all the squabbling at the expense of living beings:
“This law has aroused so much passion that it has caused what is arguably the greatest coalition crisis since the united right came to power. ... There's even a risk of early elections in which the PiS would run without a coalition partner. ... Unfortunately, we must draw a sad conclusion from this: animals are being treated as objects, as property that can be handled as one pleases with no regard for their suffering or pain. This attitude is deeply rooted in our mentality. So deeply that we must fight for animal rights, not just respect them.”