Mink farming for fur is one of the most welfare-contested industries globally. Scientific evidence about mink sentience and farming conditions has driven bans in numerous countries.
Mink welfare science provides some of the strongest evidence that intensive fur farming causes severe, chronic suffering. Mink evolved as semi-aquatic predators with strong swimming drives - denying them water access creates significant frustration and welfare deficits. The wire cage environment provides no opportunity for the natural behaviors that define mink wellbeing. Stereotypic behaviors - repetitive, purposeless movements that are a reliable indicator of chronic stress and poor welfare in many species - are extremely prevalent in farmed mink, with some studies finding the majority of individuals showing these behaviors. The global trend toward fur farming bans reflects a scientific and public consensus that this industry cannot be made humane within a viable economic model.