Mink farming causes severe and well-documented welfare harm. Most scientific and legislative attention supports phase-out as the most welfare-positive outcome.
Mink farming causes chronic welfare harm that is extraordinarily difficult to mitigate. Mink are active, semi-aquatic predators whose natural behavior involves swimming, hunting, and wide-ranging exploration. Wire cage confinement prevents nearly all natural behavior expression. Stereotypic pacing, self-biting, and water-bowl obsession (a substitute for swimming) are near-universal in farmed mink and indicate severe psychological distress. Scientific consensus and legislative trends strongly support phase-out as the only welfare-adequate solution for this species.