Mink farming for fur raises profound welfare questions for a highly active, semi-aquatic predator confined in small wire cages. Most EU countries have banned or are phasing out mink farming, reflecting the conclusion that adequate welfare is impossible in cage systems.
Mink farming is one of the cases in which welfare science has reached near-consensus that the commercial production system is incompatible with adequate welfare for the species. The evidence base is extensive: decades of research consistently show that mink in wire cage systems cannot perform natural behaviours, show high rates of stereotypy indicating chronic stress and frustration, and suffer from the denial of water access — an extreme deprivation for a semi-aquatic species. The progressive EU phase-out of mink farming reflects this scientific consensus translated into policy. Countries that have maintained mink farming in the face of this evidence have done so primarily for economic and political reasons rather than welfare justifications. The COVID-19 mass cullings added a further dimension: 17 million mink killed by gassing and burial in hours, with documented welfare problems in the killing process, illustrated the scale of harm that the industry can inflict in a single crisis event. The case for global phase-out of mink farming is as strong as for any intensive animal production system currently operating.