Scientific research on mink welfare has built a compelling case for why conventional fur farming cannot meet fundamental welfare needs of these semi-aquatic carnivores.
The welfare science on mink farming is unusually clear: multiple independent research programs using different methodologies have reached consistent conclusions that conventional cage farming fundamentally cannot meet mink behavioral needs. The scientific consensus is strong enough that the European Commission's Scientific Committee concluded definitively that current housing systems cannot meet fundamental mink welfare requirements. Stereotypies affecting the majority of farmed mink are not a management problem to be optimized — they are an indicator of irreducibly inadequate conditions. The policy response of banning or phasing out mink farming in 17+ countries reflects appropriate scientific and ethical weight given to this evidence.