the final nail
news & updates
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 disclosed)....
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
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 study by...
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...
Activism can have impacts that are unpredictable
Two summers ago, activists tore down fences, opened cages and freed dozens of foxes at the Schmuecker Fox Farm in Luzerne, Iowa. What the activists likely didn't know was that Dan Schmuecker had been operating the farm for decades without the required state permit and...
USDA poison factory
You've probably seen the news that the Trump administration is once again allowing the use of M-44 "cyanide bombs" to kill coyotes, foxes and other predators on public lands. The spring-activated devices are designed to release a deadly dose of poison into the face of...
Higher prices not necessarily good news for fur industry
The American Mink Exchange auction wrapped-up last week at the South Point Conference Center in Las Vegas. Prices for mink pelts were the highest they've been in a long time. The reason is reduced supply not increased demand. Fur farming is a shrinking industry. The...
Etsy bans fur!
This is Flattail Furs, a fox farm on Beaver Island in the northeast corner of Lake Michigan. For 15 years, Flattail Furs has killed foxes and sold their pelts on Etsy, the online marketplace. Thanks to activists with CAFT, that will end in August when Etsy's new ban...
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, it's clear...
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...
Bobcat fur farm closed
One of the last fur farms to exploit bobcats is most likely closed. Although Larry Schultz still has an active fur farm license with the State of Montana, recent aerial images show that all the outdoor pens at his farm in Roy have been taken down (see before and after...
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.
Mink farm demolition
We love this promo video from a demolition company in Finland! We hope to see more scenes like this (mink farms torn down) in the U.S. https://vimeo.com/910887063
Suffering in a bottle
This footage was taken in November 2025 at Kaatz Bros., a fox fur farm in Savanna, Illinois. Animals at the farm are also exploited for their urine, which is used to create trapping lures and other products. Check out our action alert to learn how you can help shut...
Mink farming may be finished in Illinois
Last month, activists visited the only remaining mink farm in Illinois, the Monteleone Mink Ranch in Elgin. Although not all of the sheds were closely inspected, most were empty or in very bad shape, and the stacks of cages at the back of the property is a good sign!...