Fur industry in Bulgaria loses court case against mink ban

12 July 2024

CAAI

The Administrative Court of Sofia City has supported the ban on the import and breeding of American mink in Bulgaria, following an appeal by the only operating mink farm in the country.

Read more about the decision here (in Bulgarian).

The legal process was started in 2022, a few months after the Minister of Environment and Waters issued an order banning the import and breeding of American mink, the species of mink farmed for its fur. This non-native species can negatively impact biodiversity, and even drive some native animal species to extinction: a view supported by more than 100 scientists and experts, who submitted opinions in support of the mink ban over the course of the case.

The mink fur farm which appealed this order has a breeding capacity of about 130,000 American mink. During its years of operation, over 100 mink have escaped – and that’s just on official record. The disruption this has caused has been wide-ranging, with complaints of mink attacks on domestic animals, the impacts of this invasive species on native habitats, and records showing mink having travelled as far as 30km away from where they first escaped.

Mink farming is terrible for animal welfare

Fur farms have also drawn public wrath for the cruel conditions in which the animals are raised and killed. 

Minks are kept in narrow and dirty wire cages and, in order to preserve the integrity of their fur, are killed in gas chambers. That these conditions are unacceptable is a view shared by a huge number of European citizens, with over 1.5 million signatures collected for the “Fur Free Europe” ECI, now pending a response from the European Commission. 

In 2021, during an inspection of the abovementioned mink farm, the Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture and Food reported a number of biosecurity violations, unsatisfactory hygienic conditions, decomposing animal carcasses, and mink escaping from their cages.

Learn more on our member CAAI’s website here. 

We welcome the completely fair decision of the court to reject the appeal of the mink breeders. In recent years, scientists have proven that the invasive nature of the American mink is a serious threat to local biodiversity. In addition, the American mink is the species in which significant susceptibility to infection with various zoonoses is noted.

Petya Altimirska, Chair of CAAI (Campaigns and Activism for Animals in the Industry)

Regards Mark

 See also https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2024/07/09/bulgaria-fur-industry-in-bulgaria-loses-court-case-against-mink-ban/