Many other fox breeders, including his brother-in-law, had switched their farms to mink, but Nieman did not think the shift worthwhile. Though mink are cheaper to raise (their feed costs from $10 ...

But the decision wasn't entirely well received. Hundreds of Danish farmers and mink breeders have since taken to the streets to protest, driving their tractors past government offices. Backlash ...

Back to Mendel. One of the men who blazed the new fur trail is the short, chunky president of the two-year-old Silverblu Platinum Mink Breeders Association, Larry Moore. Still in his 30s ...

While fur coats remain status symbols in many cultures, fur producers have come under pressure on several fronts.

The head of the mink breeders' association, Tage Pedersen, said the cull spelt doom for Danish fur producers - a sector employing about 6,000 people and worth $800m (£600m) annually in exported ...