Mink fur farming is being phased out across Europe following recognition of poor welfare outcomes inherent to the system. Remaining farms face increasing welfare and regulatory pressure.
The welfare case against mink fur farming has been made comprehensively by behavioral and veterinary scientists: mink are semi-aquatic predators with large home ranges whose behavioral and psychological needs cannot be met in wire cages. The documented prevalence of stereotypic behaviors, fear responses to handling, and inability to express swimming, burrowing, and predatory behaviors indicate chronic welfare impairment inherent to the production system. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the already proceeding political phase-out in several countries, demonstrating the zoonotic risk of intensive mink farming alongside its welfare costs. For remaining mink farming countries, transition support for farmers and welfare standards for the phase-out period are important. The synthetic fur industry provides an economic alternative, and several luxury brands have committed to fur-free policies.