Lawmakers Urge Federal Agency to Protect Public Health and Wildlife from Dangerous Mink Trade

Washington, DC—US Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife, was joined by 20 colleagues today on a letter urging the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to list American mink as an injurious species under the Lacey Act. This listing would prohibit the importation of live mink and mink pelts into the United States.

The letter references a petition submitted by wildlife protection groups to the USFWS in November 2021. The petition argues that listing American mink as an injurious species under the Lacey Act would help reduce the significant risks that farmed mink pose to humans and wildlife and would help combat the COVID-19 global health crisis. Mink are highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and outbreaks have been confirmed on at least 18 fur farms in multiple US states, with more than 20,000 mink reported dead from the disease.

The threat of mink farms or infected wild mink populations becoming reservoirs for the virus could jeopardize efforts to contain the pandemic. Mink can pass the virus to humans, and such cases have been confirmed in Denmark, Poland and the Netherlands. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that people at a farm in Michigan were infected with a mutation of SARS-CoV-2 found in mink, suggesting that mink-to-human transmission of unique variants occurred within the United States.

Furthermore, farmed mink regularly escape from captivity and threaten the viability of wild mink populations due to the risk of disease transmission, hybridization and competition for resources. Wild and free-ranging mink in close proximity to fur farms with COVID-19 outbreaks have tested positive for the virus.

“Mink farming poses a serious threat to wildlife, ecosystems, and human health,” Huffman said. “Over the past few years, we’ve seen an alarming pattern of COVID-19 mutation in mink farms. With these risks in mind, it’s critical we do everything we can to get ahead of outbreaks that could wreak havoc on our communities and the greater public health. Listing American mink as an injurious species is an important step to prevent further mutations and outbreaks that are running rampant in these facilities.” 

“Thank you, Chairman Huffman and colleagues, for urging the administration to address the clear hazard that farmed mink pose to citizens and wildlife,” said Susan Millward, executive director of the Animal Welfare Institute. “We must use every tool available to combat this pandemic and mitigate future outbreaks. The clock is ticking—the USFWS must act swiftly to list American mink as an injurious species.”

Animal Defenders International President Jan Creamer said: “Our investigations have exposed the suffering of animals farmed for fur. Mink suffer mentally and physically on fur farms. They live in barren cages, crammed next to one another in unhygienic conditions; their immune systems are impaired by stress. These factory farms can easily give rise to new mutations of COVID-19.”

“Mink raised on fur farms suffer immensely for an industry that profits off of animal exploitation,” said Animal Legal Defense Fund Executive Director Stephen Wells. “Mink typically spend their lives in cramped, unsanitary wire cages, conditions that have led to the rapid transmission of COVID-19 among mink populations and outbreaks at several mink farms. We are grateful to Chairman Huffman and his colleagues for calling on the US Fish and Wildlife Service to list American mink as an injurious species; urgent action is needed to protect animals and prevent further spread of COVID-19.”

“Millions of mink are raised in captivity for fur each year,” said Sara Amundson, president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. “Mink are susceptible to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and can transmit Covid-19 to each other, humans, and to other wildlife. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must act now to protect human and animal health. Kudos to Rep. Huffman for leading congressional efforts calling on the agency to list mink as an ‘injurious species’ under the Lacey Act. We shouldn’t be trading public health for the vanity of a fur coat.”

According to Angela Grimes, CEO of Born Free USA, “Ending the gross exploitation of wild animals in captivity has long been the mission of Born Free USA, and there is no doubt that mink on fur farms suffer abominably in the name of outdated and cruel fashion. The conditions these wild animals are forced to endure are so poor and unsanitary that these farms have become a proven incubator for the COVID-19 virus and its mutations, further exacerbating the global health crisis we’ve been combatting for over two years. We are so thankful to Chairman Huffman for once again championing sound science, human health, and animal welfare, and we urge the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to move forward with listing American mink as an injurious species.”