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.

Denmark was once the largest producer of mink fur in the world, but the industry has declined due to global bans on fur farming, a decline in the fur trade and an earlier outbreak of a Covid strain in the nation's mink population.

The ban is due to come into effect on 7 August next year, and is 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 Danish government had initially sought an exemption for its mink industry when the EU added the mammal to its list of invasive species in 2025, prohibiting people from keeping them.

However, the current coalition government, elected in June 2026, reversed this 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".

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