Denmark drops bid to save mink farms; farming to end by August 2029

In June 2025 the American mink was added to the EU's list of invasive species, which bans keeping the animals across the EU. Denmark's previous government planned to ask the European Commission for a special exemption for Danish breeders. The new coalition decided on 23 October not to submit that application.

“A business should not continue just because it has existed for a long time. It should also make sense for society, for the economy and for the animals. The government has chosen animal welfare,” said Minister for Nature and Animal Welfare Christian Rabjerg Madsen. The ban takes effect on 7 August 2027, followed by a two-year transition period.

According to the ministry, Denmark had seven mink farms in August 2026. The BBC recalls that the government ordered around 15 million mink culled during the pandemic, and that Danish output has since fallen behind countries such as Poland and China.