The scientific evidence that mink cannot achieve good welfare in farm conditions has underpinned bans across Europe - the welfare science behind this conclusion.
The welfare science case against mink farming is among the strongest for any farmed species. EFSA's review concluded that the fundamental requirements of mink welfare - access to water for swimming and diving, large territories for exploration, complex environments for foraging - cannot be provided in commercial cage farming systems. This is not a matter of improving cage conditions but of an irreconcilable mismatch between species needs and production requirements. The expanding mink farm ban movement across Europe reflects this scientific consensus. Consumers and policymakers who understand the welfare science are the most effective advocates for global mink farm elimination.