THIS YEAR'S SHARP DECLINE IN MINK PRICES from the peaks reached last year, while not putting American ranchers into the red, nevertheless is rekindling issues that have been smouldering for years. High among them is increasing competition from European mink, more particularly better-quality, shorter-napped pelts that more closely resemble the skins for which North American breeders have been known over the years and for which they have been able to collect premiums consistently. Now, thanks to continuing injection of fresh American breeding stock, European producers also are beginning to enjoy those premiums.

And that's the rub: North American farmers - including Canadian - selling fine breeding animals to help Europeans improve their herds and, therefore, their competitive position with the Americans. The controversy dates back more than half a century to when the first pairs of mink, which were indigenous to North America, were shipped overseas. It has tended to surface at times when prices were depressed and farmers were having marketing problems, but shifted to a back burner when times were good.

MEANWHILE, THE EUROPEAN UNION IS BEING CHASTISED for its inaction against proposed bans on fur farming in member countries which would drive fur production to China. In an op-ed article in Helsingin Sanomat, Päivi Mononen-Mikkilä charges the EU is "toothless in preventing its member states' law proposals that would ban a livelihood practiced in another member state in accordance with Community legislation." The director of communications for Finnish Fur Sales cites Denmark's proposal to ban fox farming and the Netherlands' plans to end mink farming. According to Mononen-Mikkilä, "the European Commission has criticized the proposals, but is not intervening in their implementation even if the laws restricted trade, directed production to third countries and deepened the financial crisis."