Mink farming in Denmark will end by 7 August 2029 after the government announced on Friday, 23 October, that it would not seek an exemption from European Union restrictions on keeping and breeding mink. The decision sets a final deadline for an industry that once made Denmark a major fur exporter.
Why the EU rules will close Denmark’s remaining mink farms
The EU placed American mink on its list of invasive alien species in 2025. Under EU regulation 2025/1422, restrictions on keeping and breeding the species will apply from 7 August 2027, followed by a two-year transition period. Denmark’s previous government planned to request special permission for the sector to continue. The current government has dropped that plan.
Only seven mink farms were registered in Denmark as of 11 August 2026, according to the government, compared with around 800 before the pandemic, according to the Ritzau news agency.
Minister for Nature and Animal Welfare Christian Rabjerg Madsen said animal welfare was a central consideration:
“It must also make sense for society, the economy and the animals.”
Animal welfare organisations welcomed the announcement. But the industry association Danske Mink said it was surprised, as preparations for an exemption request were under way, and argued that Denmark’s parliament should debate the decision, Ritzau reported.
How the pandemic mink cull became a political scandal
In November 2020, the government led by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen ordered the culling of around 15 million mink amid fears that coronavirus mutations spreading on fur farms could threaten public health. The decision prompted a major controversy when it emerged that the authorities lacked legal authority to require all mink to be killed, including healthy animals outside affected areas. A parliamentary commission criticised the government’s handling, and Frederiksen received a formal reprimand in 2022. The scandal also contributed to that year’s early election, after a parliamentary ally demanded a vote.
Denmark allowed mink farming to resume in 2023 after a temporary ban expired. The latest decision means the remaining farms must now close by the end of the EU transition period.
