Help end fur farming in Iceland

The Mink

Minks are endowed with great climbing and swimming abilities. They have a lot of playfulness in them. Minks are intelligent and curious animals. Like cats, minks purr when they feel good. It is natural for minks to swim in water. They even have webbing between their toes! Research shows that when they do not have access to water to splash around in, it causes stress similar to when they are denied food.

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Fur Farming

The existence of minks in fur farming is one of the saddest things imaginable. From birth to the day they die, they live in small wire cages where they can neither run, dig, nor swim. The only “entertainment” is pacing back and forth in pointless circles around the cage.

Minks are intelligent predators that in nature travel over large areas, hunt, swim, and explore their environment. When animals do not get the opportunity to exhibit their natural behavior, it leads to severe stress and suffering. In fur farming, this manifests among other things in self-harming behavior such as gnawing on their own bodies. This is documented in the EFSA's scientific opinion. Over 330,000 veterinarians have called for fur farming to be phased out.

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Today, there is only one mink farm left in Iceland. According to inspections, repeated remarks have been made about its operations due to violations of animal welfare regulations.

The industry has been run at a loss for years but has received government subsidies—for example, the industry was supported with 160 million ISK from public funds in the years 2020–2021.

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Minks are kept in wire cages that are 30×70 cm in size. Killing is carried out in airtight boxes that they are crammed into, and gas is released. It takes up to 60 seconds before the pups lose consciousness, and they die after 5 minutes when carbon monoxide saturation has depleted the oxygen from the heart and brain. These first 60 seconds are extremely painful for the pups, as the gas causes burning and slow suffocation.

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Fur farming is contrary to all views on animal welfare, is questionable from an environmental protection perspective, and has no significance for regional policy or agriculture.

Fur farming is in decline, but 24 countries have banned fur farming because the activity does not align with the basic requirements for animal welfare today.

It is obvious where things are heading. A number of countries have banned fur farming due to animal welfare, environmental impacts, and the risk of disease spread. Around the world, the industry has contracted rapidly, and the public has expressed clear opposition to fur farming and to animals being kept in cages their entire lives for the sole purpose of producing fur for the fashion industry.

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AWI's Position

We want fur farming to be banned in Iceland.

Mink farming in Iceland conflicts with animal welfare and cannot thrive without contributions from public tax money. It is therefore inevitable that the authorities present a plan to phase out fur farming in Iceland.

What have we done?

In March 2023, AWI organized “Mink March,” a campaign/awareness-raising effort about minks and their conditions in the fur industry in Iceland. The campaign consisted of educational advertisements on social media, articles, radio interviews, and a petition in support of banning fur farming.

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What can you do?

• Sign the petition!

• Stop buying clothing with fur

• Urge MPs and ministers to take action on the issue

• Urge stores to stop producing clothing with real fur collars

• Share educational material to raise awareness and spark discussions

News / Articles

Article March 10, 2023: Ban fur farming. (https://www.visir.is/g/20232387894d/bonnum-loddyrahald)

Article March 27, 2023: Mink farming and chemical pollution. (https://www.visir.is/g/20232395183d/minka-eldi-og-efna-mengun)

Radio March 16, 2023: Fur farming is animal cruelty. (https://www.visir.is/k/25205270-acc6-42ec-9e12-1417577c54bd-1678954198782)