About Mink Farming

Once a staple of fashion, the mink coat is now a rare accessory. Nonetheless, mink fur clothing, like other fur garments, remains a symbol of luxury and opulence. For this market, minks are no longer hunted in the wild but are raised in farms in several countries throughout the world.

The Mink

The mink is a carnivorous, semi-aquatic mammal related to the weasel and the otter. Mink eat a variety of small animals, including fish, small mammals and birds. Minks seldom stray far from water sources. There are 2 breeds of mink alive today: the American mink and the European mink. A third variety, the sea mink, is now extinct due to overhunting.

History

Mink have long been prized for their fur due to its warmth, softness and glossy brown texture. Before they were farmed, wild mink were hunted in North America for profit in the European fur trade during pioneer times. By the end of the 19th century, the sea mink had been hunted to extinction due to this practice.
Both as a response to dwindling natural populations and as a way to increase profits, mink farms began to appear in the United States in the 1860s. The practice has spread to other nations, with China being the leader in the fur-farming industry. The mink is the most commonly farmed, fur animal.

Controversy

Since the last few decades of the 20th century, mink farming, as well as the farming of other types of fur animals, has been the center of controversy and the focus of protests by animal rights organizations. Most protests concern the cruel and confining conditions for the animals at many mink farms as well as the concern that some killing practices are inhumane. Many of these protest efforts were spearheaded by the animal rights group, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).

Farming Procedures

The treatment of minks on farms in the United States is governed only by laws pertaining to general treatment of agricultural animals, rather than any legislation specifically directed at mink farming. As such, treatment and practices on mink farms in this country can vary greatly from farm to farm. Some farms may use cages of varying sizes while others give minks free outdoor ranges in which to roam with puddles to swim in. Feeding of minks can vary as well, but they are largely fed on human food products which are expired past the point of human consumability.

Legality

Though mink farming is legal in the U.S., the practice was recently outlawed in England and Wales by the Fur Farming Prohibition Act of 2000. Similar legislation was enacted in Scotland in 2002. 9 of the 12 Austrian states have also outlawed the practice. Some countries, such as Italy and Switzerland, keep the practice legal but impose strict regulations to ensure humane treatment of the animals. The United States and China have to limitations on the practice of mink farming.

Resources

• International Fur Farming Legislation