The (sad) return of the minks
10 January 2025
In a tense press conference in 2020, the Danish government ordered the culling of the country’s mink population of 15 million, based on fears of Covid-19 variations spreading between humans and animals. This controversial decision was followed by a two-year temporary ban on mink farming, marking the politically fraught closure of an already struggling industry.
Fast forward to 2023, the ban has expired, marking the return of mink farming to Denmark. Since then, 15 new mink farms have started operations, with more expected to follow in the coming years.
While Danish experts don’t foresee mink farming returning to its pre-2020 scale, its resurgence is not unproblematic. Today, the primary markets for Danish mink fur are Russia and China – countries who, to put it mildly, have almost zero record of caring about animal rights.
 | Daniela Lange Andersen The fur farming industry has been on the decline across Europe since 2014, with 19 European countries – both within and outside the EU – banning the practice altogether. While the heated debate around the industry has cooled since the Covid-19 crisis, the future of fur farming on an EU level remains uncertain. Animal rights groups continue to push for an EU ban, and although the European Commission showed some openness to this proposal, it failed to reach a consensus in 2023. The decision has been postponed until next year, leaving many minks to wait for their fate. We just want to remind you that fake fur, these days, is as cool as can be. |
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