Denmark’s government drops mink-farming exemption plan

Denmark’s government decided on 23 October not to pursue an exemption from a European Union ban on keeping mink, setting an August 2029 endpoint for the country’s remaining mink-farming industry. Seven farms remain, with approximately 15,000 animals, BBC reported.

The European Union added mink to its invasive-species list in 2025, prohibiting people from keeping them. Denmark initially sought an exemption for its breeders, but the coalition government elected in June 2026 has reversed that policy.

Animal welfare and a much smaller industry

Nature Minister Christian Rabjerg Madsen said the government had chosen animal welfare. He argued that a business’s long history was not enough reason for it to continue.

Denmark was once the world’s largest producer of mink fur. Its industry has shrunk amid fur-farming bans, a declining fur trade and a coronavirus crisis in its mink population. During the pandemic, the government ordered a mass cull after a mutated strain of the virus was found in the animals. Approximately 15 million mink were killed; the government later admitted it had no legal basis for the cull.

Closure costs remain unsettled

The cost of closing the seven remaining farms has not been determined. BBC, citing local media, reported that an animal-welfare spokesperson for one of the governing coalition parties had previously estimated it at around 14 million Danish krone (£1.56 million). That estimate is preliminary, and the final amount could be higher.

The ban is scheduled to take effect on 7 August 2027. Farms then have a two-year transition period to phase out production, making August 2029 the closure deadline rather than the ban’s starting date.