Mink farming for fur involves keeping solitary, highly active predators in small wire cages in conditions that cause severe welfare compromise.
Mink farming is widely considered one of the most welfare-compromising farming systems in the world. The mismatch between the species' biology — solitary, aquatic, wide-ranging — and the conditions of wire cage farming creates chronic behavioral frustration. Mink in cages engage in repetitive pacing, circling, and self-mutilation. Several countries including Norway, the Czech Republic, and France have banned mink farming. Consumer pressure and legislation are the two levers of change.