Djurens Rätt exposes troublesome links between mink farms and factory farming

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Wildlife

Djurens Rätt exposes troublesome links between mink farms and factory farming

29 May 2023
Djurens Rätt
News
In a new report, Djurens Rätt has revealed that the mink farms in Sweden directly contribute to the death of a minimum of 30 million fish per year, in addition to the hundreds of thousands of minks killed for their fur. Through feed production, with links to depleted seas and chicken factory farming, the report shows economic incentives between mink farms and other factory farms.

Public opinion has already turned against mink farming for fur in Sweden due to the poor living conditions for animals and cruel killing methods, as proven by the European Citizens’ Initiative Fur Free Europe which calls for an EU-wide ban on fur farming and the sale of farmed fur products. 

The new report reveals a lesser known problem; that Swedish mink farms also contribute to extensive suffering in other species and the loss of at least 30 million individual lives per year. Mink farming was also found to contribute to funding chicken factory farming, which has created economical motivation for farmers to protect the existence of fur farms. Djurens Rätt wants to see a ban on mink farms to combat the problem.
Animal welfare is evidently a part of sustainability, and it is not sustainable to breed carnivores in small wire cages in a system that also contributes to suffering in other industries. The report Djurens Rätt published is more proof that mink farms are unsustainable and need to be phased out immediately
Camilla Bergvall - President, Djurens Rätt

Key conclusions

  • There would be positive effects for sustainability and Sweden's biodiversity if mink farms closed.
  • There are intimate economic links between mink farms and other factory farms, especially within the chicken industry and in fisheries. 
  • Slaughterhouse waste in Sweden is increasing with rising animal production. It is currently not used in a sustainable way.