Mink farming confines highly active, semi-aquatic predators in small wire cages for fur production, causing severe behavioral welfare problems that have led to bans in over 20 countries.
Mink farming represents one of the clearest cases in which the inherent biological needs of a species are fundamentally incompatible with the conditions of commercial production. Mink are semi-aquatic solitary predators adapted for complex, active hunting and swimming — a behavioral repertoire entirely denied by wire battery cages measuring approximately 30 by 90 centimeters. The resulting welfare outcomes are severe: stereotypic behaviors indicating chronic frustration affect the large majority of farmed individuals; self-mutilation is documented; and social housing causes persistent aggression injuries. The scientific consensus that mink farming cannot meet basic welfare standards for this species has driven bans in over 20 European countries, with more jurisdictions moving toward phase-outs.