Mink farming for fur is declining globally due to welfare concerns and bans in many countries. Understanding mink welfare science informs policy debates about remaining mink farming operations.
Mink welfare in conventional fur farming is among the most comprehensively documented cases of endemic poor welfare in animal production. Mink are highly motivated to access water for swimming - a motivation that cannot be satisfied in standard wire cages. This frustration drives the high prevalence of stereotypic behaviors that indicate chronic stress. Enrichment improvements reduce but cannot eliminate the fundamental welfare deficit of keeping an active semi-aquatic predator in a small cage. Bans on mink farming represent the strongest welfare response to a scientifically documented welfare problem.