Scientific evidence for poor mink welfare in farming systems has driven bans across many European countries, making mink farming an important case study in welfare-based agricultural regulation.
Mink farming represents one of the clearest cases where welfare science has driven policy change. Decades of research consistently found that wire mesh cages fundamentally prevent mink from meeting their behavioral needs - swimming, diving, and territory exploration are impossible in standard farm conditions. The high rates of stereotypic behavior in farmed mink are interpreted as indicators of chronic frustration and negative emotional states. Unlike some farming contexts where welfare improvements can be accommodated within the production model, mink welfare science suggests that cage-based fur farming cannot achieve acceptable welfare standards without fundamentally changing what it is.