In brief
Denmark’s government reversed a plan to seek an exemption from the EU’s mink‑farming ban, announcing a full prohibition effective 7 August 2029. The decision follows years of decline in the fur market, a massive COVID‑related cull of 15 million animals, and growing animal‑welfare concerns. Danish farms will be phased out over a two‑year transition to 2031, with an estimated closure cost of 14 million Danish krone. The ban aligns with a broader fashion industry shift away from fur and marks the end of Denmark’s historic leadership in mink production.
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 drop in the fur trade and an earlier outbreak of a Covid strain in the nation’s mink population.
The ban will begin on 7 August next year, with a two‑year transition period to phase out the practice.
Danish Nature Minister Christian Rabjerg Madsen said the government had chosen animal welfare, adding that a business must make sense for society, the economy and the animals.
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. The current coalition decided not to proceed with the application on Friday.
Social Democrat MP Brigitte Vind called the decision a good day for animal welfare, saying Denmark should not apply for a special scheme for mink breeding.
Denmark remains one of the few European countries still producing mink fur, which is still used in fur garments, though production has fallen behind other producers such as Poland and China.
The industry faced a crisis during the coronavirus pandemic, when the government ordered a mass cull of mink after a mutated Covid strain was found in the animals, killing about 15 million. At the time Denmark had large export markets to China and Hong Kong, and later admitted it had no legal basis for the cull.
There are now about 15,000 mink left in Denmark. Closing the seven remaining mink farms will cost an estimated 14 million Danish krone (£1.56m), though the final amount could be higher.
The wearing of fur remains a controversial subject within fashion circles, with many publications and fashion brands choosing not to use or promote it. The industry re‑entered the spotlight last year when celebrities and fashionistas wore vintage and faux fur.
