Denmark will ban mink farming in a government reversal

Denmark

The government dropped its bid for an exemption to the EU ban. The ban takes effect Aug 7 next year, followed by a two-year transition, so mink farming ends by August 2029.

"A business should not continue just because it has existed for a long time," said Nature Minister Christian Rabjerg Madsen. He said the government chose animal welfare.

— Christian Rabjerg Madsen, Danish nature minister

Mink left in Denmark

15,000 mink

Denmark once led the world in mink fur. About 15,000 mink remain on its seven farms, after a pandemic cull of roughly 15 million.