Denmark drops bid to exempt mink farms from EU ban

Denmark will phase out mink farming by August 2029 after its government dropped plans to seek an exemption from an EU ban.

The EU classifies the American mink as an invasive species and prohibits people from keeping it.

Denmark was once the world's largest producer of mink fur, but the industry shrank after the Covid pandemic and a decline in fur trading.

In 2020, the government ordered about 15 million mink killed after a mutated Covid strain was found in the animals; it later acknowledged it had no legal basis for the cull.

About 15,000 mink remain on seven farms, and the government says it has chosen animal welfare over continuing the industry.

The cost of closing the farms has not been set, and the final amount could be higher than an earlier estimate of 14 million Danish krone.