Norway is set to become the first Nordic country to ban fur industries, as it plans to close all fox and mink farms by 2025.

The pledge was made by Norway's Conservative Prime Minister, Erna Solberg, after partners in the country's new three-part coalition government discussed the terms of their collaboration last week.

Norway's Liberal Party, which is the new and smallest party in the coalition, has been credited for pushing the initiative. Norway is now the 14th European country to phase out fur farming.

The move was welcomed by animal protection charities. “This is a fantastic victory for the fight to stop the fur industry in Europe,” said Thorbjørn Schiønning, the campaigns manager for Anima.

The decision follows a long standing debate over the issue in Norway which has attracted Europe's largest organised anti-fur protests in recent years, with some 9,000 people from more than 30 towns joining last year's demonstrations.