Bird flu outbreak on Utah mink farm

Bird flu outbreak on Utah mink farm

For the first time in the United States, avian influenza (bird flu) has been confirmed on a fur farm. On Friday, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service disclosed avian influenza infection in captive mink in Utah (the farm location was not...
Mink released from cages at Oregon farm

Mink released from cages at Oregon farm

There are only a few fur farms remaining in Oregon, and the largest of them is Cascade Farms near the city of Turner. During the night of August 12-13, someone cut holes in the farm fence and released 1,500 mink from cages.
Mink farming is a public health risk

Mink farming is a public health risk

A study published earlier this month found that SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) continues to circulate in U.S. farmed mink, that mink can serve as “reservoirs” for the virus, and that the virus has spread from mink to other wildlife. The 3-year...
No more skunk farming in Minnesota

No more skunk farming in Minnesota

New rules for fur farms in Minnesota have been finalized by the Minnesota DNR and will take effect by the end of the year. The new rules include important (but insufficient) animal care standards, new requirements for disease reporting and record-keeping, and give the...
This is the farm they showcase?!

This is the farm they showcase?!

The 51st Kastoria (Greece) International Fur Fair ended this week. During the fair, attendees visited a local mink farm. This video was shared online by Louise Simonsen, a leading figure in Denmark’s mink industry. From the emojis accompanying the clip,...
Joan Galvin: Fur industry lobbyist

Joan Galvin: Fur industry lobbyist

Opposition research: Washington lobbyist Joan Galvin has joined Fur Commission USA as an honorary board member (only active fur farmers are eligible to serve as regular board members). It would be hard to find somebody more entrenched in animal abuse industries as...
Trending toward zero!

Trending toward zero!

The data (mink “production” by state) in this chart from a recent article in The Oregonian newspaper is not new, but it’s encouraging to see in a visual format.