The welfare of farmed mink (Mustela vison) in relation to behavioural selection: A review

Animal welfare is a major issue in Europe, and the production of mink, Must ela vison, has also been under debate. One common method of solving animal welfare problems is to adapt the environment to fit the behavioural needs o f the animals. In comparison with other forms of husbandry, the mink produc tion environment has remained relatively unchanged over the years and provi des for some of the most obvious needs of mink. Whether today's typical hou sing conditions adequately meet the welfare requirements of mink is current ly a topic of discussion. An alternative approach to improving welfare is t o modify the animals so that they are better adapted to farming conditions. In large-scale animal production, handling of the individual can be a spor adic event, making an animal's inherent characteristics for temperament and adaptability important factors to consider with respect to its resultant w elfare. In this review we present and discuss experiments on behavioural selection for temperament, and against undesirable behaviours, such as fur chewing in mink. Fur chewing behaviour can be reduced by selection, apparently withou t any negative effects, whereas only a little is known about the nature and consequences of selecting against stereotypic behaviours. Long-term select ion experiments have shown that it is possible to reduce fearfulness in far med mink. Using a relatively simple test, it is possible for farmers to add behavioural measurements to their normal selection criteria and thereby im prove the welfare of farmed mink.