Bulgarian parliament bans breeding of animals for valuable fur

In a rare display of near-complete unanimity, members of parliament have banned the breeding of animals for their fur. Violations of the ban will be punishable by fines of up to €10,000.

The prohibition ensures that mink, chinchillas, foxes, raccoon dogs and other animals will no longer be raised and killed in Bulgaria solely for their pelts. The bill was prepared with the assistance of the association “Kazhi” (Say), which notes that Bulgaria is among the countries supporting the European Citizens’ Initiative “Europe without Fur.” The initiative’s goal is a ban on fur farms and on the import of fur products across the entire European Union.

In 2022, volunteers from the organisation “Invisible Animals” revealed in a BTV report the horrors behind the walls of a mink farm in the Stara Zagora region. The animals were confined in cramped, dirty wire cages with no room to move, and were killed by carbon dioxide gassing, which is considered a humane method of euthanasia. Residents living near the farm had to endure the terrible smell that spread through the area, while domestic animals became victims of the small predators that escaped from captivity. In 2025, the Supreme Administrative Court finally upheld the ban on breeding American mink in Bulgaria. The order had been issued by the Ministry of Environment and Water at the end of May 2022 but was appealed by the owners of the country’s only such farm. It was owned by “Farmpro,” whose partners include Ivan Angelov, his son Angel Angelov and relatives better known for the “Gradus” poultry brand. In the end, the farm was closed.

“Today we can say not only that the country’s only fur farm has closed its doors, but that such an unprecedentedly cruel practice will never again have a place in Bulgaria, thanks to the legal amendment just adopted. This is further proof that change is possible and that the efforts of civil society matter,” said representatives of “Invisible Animals.” The association notes, however, that there have been no fur farms in Bulgaria since 2025, making it easy to ban something that no longer exists. “The real test for the deputies will be the ban on cages for calves,” the organisation stated.

In Europe

Mink farming in Denmark will be phased out by August 2029, after the government decided to abandon plans to seek an exemption from a broader European ban on the activity, according to the BBC. Denmark is the world’s largest producer of mink fur, but the sector has declined as a result of bans introduced in various countries, the shrinking fur trade, and a previous outbreak of a COVID strain among the country’s mink population. The ban takes effect on 7 August next year, with a two-year transitional period for the gradual cessation of operations.