Denmark to ban mink farming in government U-turn
Mink farming will end in Denmark by August 2029 after the government decided to drop plans to pursue an exemption to an EU-wide ban on the practice.
TL;DR
- Denmark's mink farming industry will cease by August 2029.
- The government has withdrawn its plan to seek an exemption from an EU ban on mink farming.
- The decision is framed as a commitment to animal welfare.
- Denmark was previously the world's largest mink fur producer but faced a decline.
- An earlier Covid-19 outbreak in mink led to a mass cull of approximately 15 million animals.
- The EU's invasive species listing for mink in 2025 prompted the initial consideration of an exemption.
- There are currently seven mink farms remaining in Denmark with about 15,000 mink.
- Closing costs are yet to be determined, but initial estimates were around 14 million Danish krone.