Mink farming for fur production has been banned in numerous countries on animal welfare grounds, with evidence of severe suffering in intensive mink production systems.
Mink farming represents one of the most clear-cut cases of systemic animal welfare failure in commercial livestock production. Mink are wild animals with strong motivations to swim, explore large territories, and hunt. Intensive cage production systems cannot provide these opportunities, resulting in chronic frustration, stereotypic behaviour, and fear of humans throughout the animals' lives. The welfare case for banning mink farming has been accepted by numerous European governments and endorsed by major welfare organisations. Countries that have implemented bans have done so without significant economic disruption, as synthetic alternatives have substantially replaced real fur in many product categories.