Animals and Money: Mink fur production in Denmark - the collapse of an industry

In 2020, a decision by the Danish government shocked the world: the population of seventeen million minks in Denmark was culled due to an outbreak of Covid-19 on mink farms. This meant the loss of an industry worth 2.5 billion DKK ($335 million USD) ¹ and the 6th most important contributor to the Danish economy ². Within the agricultural sector, mink fur production was holding 11.3% of the total export ³. Apart from having a significant impact on the economy, the case is a reminder how social and ethical factors shape political decisions: Since the culling could not be justified legally, the prime minister “was forced to call a snap general election, leading to a change of government” ⁴.

In Denmark, mink farming has a long history and is well established ⁵ - with 778 farms and a contribution of 36% ⁶ to the global fur market up until 2019. Denmark was the second largest producer of mink skins globally ⁷. A key factor for the success of Danish mink fur was the Copenhagen Fur company overseeing the farms and the price development. The farms combined were producing 25-30 million mink pelts per season ⁸. Being such a highly productive economic field,the mink production in Denmark was recognized as one of the 29 Danish special competence clusters ⁹.
In response to the economic impact of the culling, the Danish government offered a “compensation package with two options: 1) economic hibernation mode (state bears the maintenance costs) or 2) give up production capacity and assets to state and receive compensation” ⁶. The financial aid amounts to $3 billion USD in total and lasts till 2030 ¹⁰. Out of the 778 farms, the majority chose the second option and only thirteen breeders remained. The decisions were influenced by the disruption of the cooperative-based infrastructure from Copenhagen Fur and the loss of the unique genotype of female minks, making it harder to rebuild their competitive business. Due to the culling, raw mink skin production decreased by 25% and global raw skin trade dropped by 30 % ¹¹. The overall numbers for mink production are declining globally from 113 million in 2014 to 17 million in 2022. In the years of the ban in Denmark (2020-22), the number of farmed minks halved ¹². 

In January of 2023, the ban from fur production was lifted but its impact was still present: investment and resources (e.g. tools) in mink production are so specific that outside of this industry they would have no value. The production sites used to be in rural areas, where unemployment is high, hence many fur farmers might struggle to find a new job in their region⁸. While the farmers were wondering how to return from this devastating loss, a debate started (and is still ongoing) on whether to totally ban fur production. In several EU states it is already banned, such as Germany ¹³. Despite being confronted by PETA, it looks like the EU is not ready for banning fur production yet. The ESFA needs to conduct scientific advice by March 2025 and the Commission will not communicate before March 2026 ¹⁴. This leaves Denmark with two more years to decide about the future of a controversial practice.

⁷ Danish Agriculture & Food Council. (2019). Denmark – a Food and Farming Country Facts &
Figures Brochure.

Sophie Merz
Issue 26 (PDF)