Mink farming is declining globally following COVID-19 mass culls and bans in many countries. Understanding mink welfare helps inform ongoing policy debates.
Farmed mink welfare has long been recognised as fundamentally incompatible with the species' biological needs. Mink are solitary, wide-ranging, semi-aquatic carnivores that require access to water for swimming, large territories, and social spacing — none of which are provided in wire cage systems. Chronic frustration leads to high rates of stereotypic behaviour and self-harm. The COVID-19 pandemic, which caused devastating transmission in mink farms and mass culls of millions of animals under highly stressful conditions, accelerated bans that were already building on welfare grounds. The ongoing challenge is that production has shifted to China where welfare standards are minimal, meaning consumer choices about fur still carry significant welfare implications.