Dutch fur farmers are in court on Wednesday arguing their case for compensation when the industry is finally closed down in 2024.

The country’s 160 fur farmers will submit claims that could reach €1bn, chairman of the mink farmers’ association Wim Verhagen told television programme Nieuwsuur.

Fur farmers are prepared to take the issue to the European Court of Human Rights, Verhagen said. ‘It is a question of principle,’ he said. ‘If the state can appropriate our livelihoods without damages, they can do that to any entrepreneur.’

In December, the senate finally backed proposals to phase out fur farming in the Netherlands, leading to a total ban by 2024.

The Netherlands is one of the biggest fur farming countries in the world, with around 160 farms producing five million pelts a year.