Mink farming for fur involves keeping highly active, semi-aquatic carnivores in small wire cages that prevent expression of nearly all natural behaviors.
Mink farming represents a stark example of a production system fundamentally incompatible with the welfare of the farmed species. Mink are predatory, semi-aquatic animals with high activity needs, strong swimming motivation, and territorial behavior. Wire cage confinement prevents all of these behaviors, predictably producing high rates of stereotypy that indicate severe frustration. The COVID pandemic accelerated bans in several countries. Consumer willingness to choose synthetic alternatives has reduced demand for farmed fur substantially.