The campaign to have the six remaining mink farms in the State closed down this year is to be intensified by Compassion In World Farming Ireland.
The animal welfare organisation has had a successful 2005, having lobbied for the end of EU export refunds on live cattle exports leaving the EU.
The group yesterday said it would focus this year on its campaign to ban fur farming in the Republic, where there are currently six mink farms, one of which also has silver and Arctic foxes.
It added that fur-farming was already illegal in Northern Ireland. It was also illegal in Britain and Austria, and was being phased out in Italy.
"We believe that fur farming is damaging to the agricultural image of Ireland as a country that takes farm animal welfare seriously," said Mary-Anne Bartlett, director of the animal welfare organisation in Ireland. "There is a future for Irish agriculture in the production of high-quality food to the very best environmental, food safety and animal welfare standards."
The industry is worth €1.9 million to the economy.