Mink farming for fur causes severe welfare harm to semi-aquatic animals held in wire cages without water access. Over 20 countries have banned mink farming on welfare grounds.
Mink farming is difficult to defend on welfare grounds. Mink are semi-aquatic territorial predators whose natural behaviour — swimming, denning, solitary ranging — is entirely prevented by standard cage production. The high prevalence of stereotypic behaviour in farmed mink is a behavioural indicator of chronic stress that is well-documented and difficult to mitigate within the cage system. The ban wave across Europe reflects political and public recognition that fur farming cannot be made welfare-compatible. Consumer choices — avoiding real fur products — remove demand for an industry built on systematic welfare compromise. The welfare argument for banning mink farming is among the most clear-cut available in farmed animal welfare policy.