Leading the way with Danish mink farming

Today's consumers care about where their fur products come from and how they are produced – and the Danish mink farming trade understands that animal welfare is often an important part of the purchasing decision. The introduction of WelFur will secure even more openness and documentation for our trade. Fur production is already highly regulated through a variety of international agreements, laws, and standards for many years. At Kopenhagen Fur, we work closely with the local Danish farmers to ensure open knowledge sharing and the optimal relationship with those who deliver skins to us.

Danish mink farming has played a leading role in promoting animal welfare, and this included the first guidelines for fur animal research in 1985 at a time when no welfare rules existed for any other type of livestock farming. Danish research played a vital role in the creation of a new set of European rules to protect fur animals launched in 1999. Research continued, incorporating results into the Danish rules on the protection of fur animals launched in 2007. Kopenhagen Fur worked with the Danish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to create local standards for mink welfare, and the resulting rules are the most detailed in all of Europe.

On-site welfare check-ups

All Danish mink farms are subject to statutory veterinarian visits every year. The visits involve a routine inspection to identify potential health or welfare issues. 

On-going research

The research in mink welfare is performed by scientists from the University of Copenhagen and Aarhus University, and receives funding from the Danish government and Kopenhagen Fur. We also support animal welfare research as part of the major European Commission’s Welfare Quality® project and WelFur. With an objective to certify animal welfare at a farm level, the project provides each fur farmer with a tool to map and correct welfare problems and to plan farm management accordingly.

Committed to mink health

The Danish authorities are responsible for checking that legislation is observed at local fur farms. Should we learn that a farm is acting illegally, we act immediately and send a representative to visit the farm to assess the issue.

We’re committed to addressing complaints actively, but handle no more than five complaints annually with even less concerning animal welfare.

We’re committed to addressing complaints actively, but handle no more than five complaints annually with even less concerning animal welfare.