Mink farming is facing increasing bans globally due to welfare concerns. Understanding the welfare problems inherent in mink farming informs advocacy for prohibition and consumer choice.
Mink farming represents one of the clearest cases of fundamental incompatibility between animal nature and farming system. Mink are highly active, semi-aquatic, wide-ranging carnivores whose natural behaviors cannot be expressed in wire cages barely larger than their bodies. The resulting welfare problems are severe and well-documented: stereotypic behaviors affecting most individuals, self-mutilation, cannibalism, and chronic stress measurable through physiological indicators. These problems are inherent to the farming system and cannot be mitigated adequately through enrichment or management changes within existing cage formats. The global trend toward mink farming bans reflects growing recognition of this fundamental incompatibility.