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Across Europe, the fur industry is preparing to introduce a new set of welfare assessments for the animals in its care. It hopes to reassure consumers who might otherwise shun its products. But how far do the new measures go, who is monitoring them and what reassurance do they really offer? In a long metal shed, hundreds of light brown mink dart around within rows of wire cages. It's really quiet - only the occasional squeak can be heard. The fate of these animals is ultimately the same as any other farmed mink. At six months old, they will be gassed and their pelts sent to auction. But for now, these ones are being studied by researchers working on new animal welfare assessments for the fur industry. The mink are kept at a fur farm belonging to Aarhus University in Denmark. The senior scientist, Steen Moller, showed me around one of the sheds. "Like all other farm animals, they are kept in a confined space, so what we need to investigate is how do we provide the best environment for them," he says. The cages contain shelves, straw and "toys" (plastic tubes), which are enrichments required by Danish law. Legal requirements vary from country to country, but Mr Moller is working on a common set of welfare assessment measures which can be applied to all European fur farms that sign up to be inspected. | 
