Farm Animals

Mink Farming: Welfare Challenges

Mink farming involves housing a semi-solitary, wide-ranging carnivore in wire cages, creating welfare problems that have led to bans across Europe.

Key Facts

Mink can range over 5 square miles in the wild but are kept in cages of 0.25 square metres
Stereotypic behaviours affect 30-80% of farmed mink depending on system
Denmark, the world's largest mink producer, culled 17 million mink in 2020 due to COVID-19
The UK banned mink farming in 2000; bans now cover most of Western Europe
Mink are the only obligate carnivores farmed in significant numbers in Europe

Welfare Considerations

The fundamental mismatch between mink natural history and cage conditions causes chronic welfare compromise. Aquatic access, which mink strongly desire, is rarely provided. Aggression, self-mutilation, and stereotypic pacing are widespread. The COVID-19 culls of 2020 subjected millions of mink to rushed killing operations that raised serious welfare concerns about methods used.

What You Can Do

Support bans on mink farming in countries where it continues
Choose synthetic fur alternatives or fur-free fashion brands
Advocate for international fur farming bans through trade standards
Support investigations into fur farm conditions
Avoid purchasing any products labelled as real fur