Denmark to end mink breeding by August 2029 — BBC News

In Denmark, mink breeding for the fur industry is to end by August 2029. The country’s government has abandoned plans to seek an exemption from the Europe-wide ban, BBC News reports.

Transition period until 2029

The ban is set to take effect on August 7, 2027, after which there will be a two-year transition period to phase out mink breeding. Denmark’s Minister for Nature, Christian Rabjerg Madsen, said the government chose animal welfare. According to him, a business should not exist solely because of a long-standing tradition, but must be justified for society, the economy and animals.

The EU added mink to its list of invasive species in 2025, banning the keeping of these animals. The Danish government initially sought to obtain special permission for the local industry. However, the coalition government elected in June 2026 changed its position on Friday and decided not to continue the procedure for obtaining an exemption.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Decline of the mink industry

Denmark was previously the world’s largest producer of mink fur, but in recent years the industry has shrunk due to bans on fur animal breeding in various countries, a decline in fur trade and an outbreak of a COVID-19 strain among mink. Social Democratic Party MP Brigitte Vind called the decision not to apply for a special arrangement for mink farms the right one.

During the pandemic, Danish authorities ordered the culling of about 15 million mink after a mutated strain of COVID-19 was detected in the animals. The government later acknowledged that it had no legal basis for that decision. Around 15,000 mink now remain in Denmark. The cost of closing the seven remaining mink farms has not yet been determined: according to local media, a representative of one of the coalition parties on animal welfare had previously estimated it at about 14 million Danish kroner, but the final amount may be higher.