Denmark to join EU-wide ban on mink farming

The Danish government is set to close its remaining mink farms by 2029, aligning with a proposed EU-wide prohibition on fur production. This policy shift marks a significant step for animal welfare and the fur‑free movement across Europe.

Denmark will close its remaining mink farms by August 2029. The government chose not to seek an exemption from a proposed EU-wide ban on mink farming. End of Mink Farming Denmark was once the world's largest producer of mink skins and mink fur. The industry has a long tradition there. The country previously had huge export markets to China and Hong Kong. Production later slipped behind Poland and China. The EU added the mammal to its list of invasive species in 2025, prohibiting people from keeping them. At that time, Denmark voted against the EU regulation. The Danish government initially planned to seek an exemption from the EU-wide ban. The current coalition government, elected in June, reversed this decision on Friday and decided not to proceed with the application. Nature Minister Christian Rabjerg Madsen stated that the government chose animal welfare. He said that a business should not continue just because it has existed for a long time, and that it should also make sense for society, for the economy, and for the animals. Social Democrat MP Brigitte Vind called it a good day for animal welfare and said it was the right decision not to apply for a special scheme. Plant Based News reported that campaign groups such as Eurogroup for Animals welcomed the news. Britta Riis, the director of Dyrenes Beskyttelse, called mink farming an outdated industry based on cramming animals into small wire cages. Bluewin reported that the minister responsible for nature and animal welfare is Christian Rabjerg Madsen. Lady Freethinker reported that the announcement came from the Danish Ministry for Nature and Animal Welfare. Transition and Figures The EU ban on mink farming takes effect on August 7 next year, according to the BBC, while Plant Based News reported that the EU first introduced its Europe-wide ban in 2025. Bluewin reported that the EU ban takes effect on August 7, 2027. A two-year transition period follows to phase out the practice and close the remaining farms. There are seven remaining mink farms in Denmark. There are approximately 15,000 mink left in Denmark, though Plant Based News reported there are currently around 15,000 mink left. No costs have yet been determined for closing the farms, but an animal welfare spokesperson for one of the governing coalition parties previously estimated it would be around 14m Danish krone (£1.56m) according to local media reports cited by the BBC, though the final amount could be higher. Pandemic and History During the COVID-19 pandemic in November 2020, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced the culling of all mink in the country out of concern over a virus mutation. Plant Based News reported 17 million animals were culled, while Bluewin and the BBC reported more than 15 million mink were culled. The government later admitted it had no legal basis for the decision at the time and owners had to be compensated at great expense. Mink farming resumed on a much smaller scale in 2023 after being re-legalized that year. Plant Based News reported that the industry poses a significant risk of spreading zoonotic diseases and causing future pandemics due to cramped, dirty conditions. Global Context The BBC reported that the industry declined due to global bans on fur farming, a decline in the fur trade, and the earlier Covid outbreak. Lady Freethinker noted that global demand for real fur has declined dramatically as more people wear vintage or faux furs, and that leading fashion houses like Gucci, Versace, and Prada adopted fur-free policies. Lady Freethinker also noted that more than 1.5 million people signed the European Citizens' Initiative for a Fur Free Europe, that Greece and Finland are active fur farming holdouts in the EU, and that mink farming remains legal federally in the US. Lady Freethinker added that it will continue to campaign for a permanent end to the trade and urged people to sign a petition for a fur ban at Milan Fashion Week. Plant Based News reported that mink farms are not the only US factory farms experiencing bird flu outbreaks, noting over 2.6 million birds on poultry farms were infected in the past month, a Washington resident died from H5N1 on November 2, and US Health Secretary RFK Jr suggested letting outbreaks run through the flock while falsely claiming H5N1 does not harm wild birds. Plant Based News also reported on an H5N1 bird flu outbreak on a Utah mink farm based on a ProPublica report, citing epidemiologist Meghan Davis.

Read source: Plant Based News