Mink fur farming ban
Law & Regulation
In Effect
November 30, 2021
Summary
On 30 November 2021, Law No. 2021-1539 (“loi visant à lutter contre la maltraitance animale et à conforter le lien entre les animaux et les hommes”) was promulgated, having been definitively adopted by the French Parliament (National Assembly and Senate) on 18 November 2021. Among its provisions, the law establishes a ban on the breeding of American mink and other species kept exclusively for fur production, with immediate effect from the date of promulgation. The ban ends domestic mink fur farming in France. Contemporary NGO and media reports — including from the Fur Free Alliance and VeganFTA — confirm that the one or two mink farms operating in France at the time of adoption were required to close as a direct consequence of the immediate breeding prohibition. The Fur Free Alliance stated that “the ban will go into immediate effect and will see the two remaining French mink fur farms shut down.” France had four mink farms earlier in the decade; by late 2021 only one or two remained in operation, making the legislative closure of a contracting sector. The law was introduced following the French government’s September 2020 ministerial announcement, which had committed to ending mink fur farming by 2025 and had followed an HSI-supported investigation into French mink farms by approximately one month. One Voice, the Fur Free Alliance, and Humane Society International publicly campaigned for closure of the farms and reported on the adoption of the law. The provision specifically names American mink and references “other species exclusively for fur,” establishing the prohibition as species-neutral within the scope of wild animals bred for fur production. The same law contains separate provisions banning wild animals in travelling circuses (documented in a separate Development record).
Background Context
Prior to 2021, France permitted commercial mink fur farming subject to general animal protection rules; no national prohibition existed. France had four mink farms at peak in the preceding decade, with numbers declining to one or two by the time of the parliamentary vote. On 29 September 2020, Minister for the Ecological Transition Barbara Pompili announced a forthcoming ban on mink fur farming by 2025 and committed that no new mink farms would be authorised. An HSI-supported investigation into French mink farms in 2020 received national media coverage approximately one month before Pompili’s announcement. SARS-CoV-2 infections were detected on at least one French mink farm during the COVID-19 pandemic, contributing to public and policy attention on the sector. The parliamentary process resulted in the ban taking immediate effect rather than the phased timeline originally announced in 2020.
System Impact
Direction
Reduces Exploitation
Type
Alters Legal Basis
Significance
High
Law No. 2021-1539 was definitively adopted by the French Parliament on 18 November 2021 and promulgated on 30 November 2021, with the mink-breeding ban in immediate effect from that date. The Fur Free Alliance reported that the ban would see the two remaining French mink fur farms shut down. VeganFTA reported in late November 2021 that one mink farm was still operating in France and would have to close under the new law. No government statistics on the exact closure dates of individual farms are available in sources consulted; closure is confirmed through NGO and media reporting rather than official farm-by-farm administrative records. No sources report resumption of mink farming in France or any legal challenge that has suspended or annulled the mink-farming provisions as of mid-2026. Enforcement responsibility is assigned to prefects and departmental veterinary services (DDPP). The law’s wild animal circus provisions, dolphinarium phase-out, and companion animal sale restrictions are documented in separate records.
Anticipated Effects
If implemented as written and enforced consistently, the ban on breeding American mink and other wild species exclusively for fur would prevent any future domestic production cycles of mink fur within France, eliminating demand for breeding stock, feed supply, and on-farm slaughter operations within French mink fur production.
Whether the elimination of French domestic mink fur production has reduced global mink fur consumption or redirected demand to imports is not established in available sources; the law does not restrict import or sale of mink fur products from other countries.
Significance Rationale
Assigned Reduces Exploitation (impact direction) because the ban eliminates domestic mink fur farming in France, closing the remaining operational mink farms. The Fur Free Alliance and VeganFTA document the closure of remaining French mink farms as a direct consequence of the immediate breeding prohibition.
Assigned Alters Legal Basis (impact type) because the primary mechanism is a categorical statutory prohibition on breeding American mink and other wild species exclusively for fur — removing the legal basis for domestic mink fur production entirely rather than modifying conditions within a continuing system.
Assigned High significance because the provision eliminates an entire industry sector within France: domestic mink fur farming is ended, not reduced or conditioned. The French mink sector was small at the time of closure (one to two farms) but the legal effect is total sector elimination within France. Consistent with other SE records that assign High to sector-eliminating provisions (New Zealand 2018 greyhound racing cessation).
The scale change is structural within France: domestic mink fur farming has been eliminated and no resumption has been reported as of 2026.
Within The System
Key Actors
The National Assembly and Senate adopted Law No. 2021-1539 on 18 November 2021; President of the Republic promulgated it on 30 November 2021. Ministry for the Ecological Transition (Minister Barbara Pompili) announced the mink farming phase-out in September 2020. Prefects and DDPP are responsible for enforcement. One Voice, the Fur Free Alliance, and Humane Society International campaigned for the ban and reported on the law’s adoption. One or two mink farms were the directly affected industry actors.
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