Fur Commission USA Statement on British Columbia Supreme Court denying B.C. mink farmers interim relief on provincial mink farming restriction

PRESTON, Idaho, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The recent decision by B.C. Supreme Court denying the province's mink farmers interim relief from a ban has been based on limited, outdated information.

Both the CDC and USDA have agreed that mink do not pose a significant risk in spreading SARS-CoV-2 to the public. The CDC states, "Currently, there is no evidence that mink play a significant role in the spread of SARS-CoV-2 to people" while the USDA says, "There is currently no evidence that animals, including mink or other mustelids, play a significant role in spreading the virus to humans."

In a statement, the U.S. National Park Service noted that "the risk of getting Covid-19 from animals in the United States, including wildlife, is low." Zoonotic diseases, like Covid-19, are not "unique" to mink. Many other species can harbor zoonotic diseases and many other species have become infected with Sars-Cov-2. The CDC website lists the species in which confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been found: dogs, cats, ferrets, big cats, otters, non-human primates, mink, white-tailed deer, and others.

"We urge all to trust the authoritative pronouncements like those from the CDC and USDA and disregard the incorrect claims by the animal rights community regarding the threat of COVID-19 spread via farmed mink, to justify the prohibition of mink," says Fur Commission USA Executive Director Challis Hobbs.

The Fur Commission USA is a national, non-profit association representing U.S. mink farming families. 

Media contact:
Challis Hobbs
FUR Commission USA
(435)915-6735

SOURCE FUR Commission USA