A hairy situation: The Danish Fur Industry between Farming and Hunting

Danish fur farming – somewhat unexpected – developed into a successful world leading industry in the 1960’s. Traditionally market hunting and/or trapping has never played a large role in Denmark proper and experience with fur farming in Denmark before the early 1930’s was non-existent. Inspired by Norway, a few entrepreneurs initiated fur farming in the 1930s, leading to rapid growth in the following decades.

Farming is viewed as integral to Danish national identity but the newcomers in the fur farming business were not per se included as part of the traditional farming segment. Neither were they seen as connected to hunting traditions. This paper seeks to explore the special position of fur farming between the traditional professional boundaries and the oppositional dynamics that came into play as it developed over time; at times revered as industrious and successful, and at times facing heavy criticism as an abusive form of animal production. The situation for the Danish fur industry was teetering and as complex as ever when the Danish government decided to cull 17 million mink in November 2020 as a direct response to the COVID-pandemic – and de facto shut down the industry in a complex political and financial situation.