In brief
Denmark’s government has reversed its bid for an exemption from the EU’s ban on mink farming, committing to shut down all mink farms by August 2029. The decision follows several years of decline in the fur industry, a mass cull in 2020, and growing public pressure on animal welfare. The new law will take effect next year, followed by a two‑year transition period to phase out the practice. Denmark, once the world’s largest producer of mink fur, now has around 15,000 animals left on its seven remaining farms, and the move is seen as a victory for animal‑rights advocates.
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.
Denmark was once the world’s largest producer of mink fur, but the industry has slipped thanks to global bans on fur farming, a decline in the fur trade and a 2020 outbreak of a Covid‑19 strain in the nation’s mink population.
The ban will take effect on 7 August next year, followed by a two‑year transition period to phase out the practice.
Danish Nature Minister Christian Rabjerg Madsen said the government had chosen animal welfare. "A business should not continue just because it has existed for a long time. It should also make sense for society, for the economy and for the animals," he said.
The government had originally sought an exemption when the EU added minks to its list of invasive species in 2025, prohibiting people from keeping them. The current coalition, elected in June, reversed the decision and decided not to proceed with the application on Friday.
Social Democrat MP Brigitte Vind said it was a good day for animal welfare. "It is absolutely the right decision not to apply for a special scheme for mink breeding in Denmark," she said.
Minks are now one of the few pelts still produced in Europe, albeit far behind Poland and China. The industry faced a crisis during the coronavirus pandemic when the government ordered a mass cull of about 15 million animals after a mutated strain was found in the minks; it later acknowledged the cull had no legal basis.
There are now roughly 15 000 minks left in Denmark. No costs have yet been determined for shutting down the seven remaining farms, but a welfare spokesperson estimated the expense could be around 14 million Danish krone (£1.56 million).
The fashion world has wrestled with fur for decades: many publications and brands dropped fur in the 2010s, only for it to re‑enter the spotlight last year with vintage and faux‑fur pieces worn by celebrities and fashionistas.
