Mink are semi-aquatic carnivores whose behavioural needs are fundamentally incompatible with farm cage conditions - evidence supporting phase-outs across Europe informs ongoing policy debates.
Mink farm welfare evidence is unusually clear-cut. Unlike some other farm species where welfare can be improved within production systems, evidence shows mink behavioural needs are fundamentally incompatible with cage farming. The motivation to swim cannot be satisfied by water bowls. The motivation to explore large territories cannot be met in standard wire cages. Stereotypic behaviour prevalence across the majority of farmed mink indicates that the welfare cost is population-wide rather than affecting a minority. The COVID-19 culls - while driven by disease control rather than welfare - accelerated phase-outs that welfare evidence had long supported. Consumer refusal to purchase mink fur is the most direct market intervention.