Denmark to ban mink farming in government U-turn

What the report says

Denmark will end mink farming by August 2029 after its government abandoned plans to seek an exemption from an EU-wide ban on keeping the animals, according to BBC World News. The decision marks a reversal from an earlier position and means the country’s remaining mink farms will be phased out over a two-year transition period once the ban takes effect on 7 August next year.

Nature Minister Christian Rabjerg Madsen said the government had prioritised animal welfare and broader social and economic considerations in deciding not to continue supporting the industry. A Social Democrat MP described the move as positive for animal welfare. The Danish Mink Association, which represents breeders, was said to have been contacted for comment.

The BBC reported that Denmark was once the world’s largest producer of mink pelts, but the sector has shrunk in recent years because of global opposition to fur farming, wider changes in the fur trade and the impact of a Covid-related outbreak in mink in the country. During the pandemic, authorities ordered a mass cull after a mutated coronavirus strain was detected in mink, a step later acknowledged by the government to have lacked a legal basis.

The industry now has around 15,000 mink left across seven farms, and the final cost of closing them has not yet been set. The decision is significant because Denmark has long been one of the few European countries still producing mink fur.