Canada Mink Breeders Association Statement

Mink ranchers denounce call for farm ban as “shameful and
misinformed”
Canadian mink farmers have denounced a letter sent by a group of BC doctors, calling
on the Government to ban on mink farming in the province, as a poorly informed and
shameful attack on farm families. (“Doctors call for end to B.C. fur farming amid
COVID-19 concerns”, CTV-BC, October 14, 2021. https://bc.ctvnews.ca/doctors-call-for-end-
to-b-c-fur-farming-amid-covid-19-concerns-1.5624021 )
“They may well be excellent doctors, but they do not know much about mink farming
in Canada, and their letter is a shamefully biased and unfair attack on Canadian farm
families” said Matt Moses, former president of the Canada Mink Breeder Association
(CMBA).
“The claim that mink farms could potentially become reservoirs for new variants of
the Sars-CoV-2 virus, is fear-mongering, at a time when farmers need our support, not
one-sided, ideologically-driven attacks,” said Moses.
When it was learned that mink – like deer, cats, hamsters, ferrets, and other species –
can contract Covid-19 from humans, Canadian farmers immediately put into place
strict bio-security protocols. Access to farms was restricted; only those feeding and
caring for the animals are allowed into mink barns, and they wear protective coats,
masks, and visors.
“Thanks to these and other measures, after more than 18 months, Sars-CoV-2 has
been detected on only three farms – less than 5% of Canadian mink farms – and these
farms were immediately quarantined and monitored by government officials. Only 200
mink – from about one million raised on Canadian farms -- have died from Covid-19.
In all cases where Sars-CoV-2 has been found on mink farms, in Canada and other
countries, the mink caught the virus from humans. Not a single case of mink-to-human
transmission has been detected in Canada. And although there have been a few cases
in other countries where possible mink-to-human retransmission was suspected, Dr.
Anthony Fauci and the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) have stated that, with
biosecurity and government-supervised quarantine protocols in place, the public
health risk posed by mink farms in North America is low.
“If mink contract Covid-19, the virus can indeed spread very quicky through the barn;
most animals are infected within a week, and some, mostly older mink die. But within
two weeks, the remaining mink have developed antibodies,” said Moses.
“The speed with which Sars-CoV-2 spreads through a mink barn actually limits the
potential for new variants,” said Moses. Viable variants are more likely to develop
when a virus circulates in a population for a long time -- as the Sars-CoV-2 virus has
been doing in human populations. The Sars-CoV-2 variants that have raised concerns
have all developed in countries – the UK, Brazil, South Africa, India – where there is
no mink farming.
“Most important: an effective vaccine has now been developed by the US company,
Zoetis, to protect mink from Sars-CoV-2, and the vaccination of Canadian mink herds
has already begun,” said Moses.
Animal-rights groups that have long campaigned against using animals for food or
clothing are now fanning fears about zoonotic diseases. Dr. Hajek, one of the doctors
calling for a ban on mink farms, co-authored an opinion piece, more than a year ago,
with Leslie Fox, director of The Fur-Bearers, a well-known BC anti-fur lobby group.
Animal-rights groups have also cited outbreaks of Swine Flu (H1N1) and Avian Flu as
reasons to ban animal agriculture. But governments did not ban pork or poultry
production; instead, they worked with farmers to control those outbreaks, using
biosecurity and quarantine protocols like those now in place on BC mink farms.
Mink farming is a small sector but plays an important role in the agricultural cycle.
Mink are fed left-overs from other animal agricultural sectors, the parts of chickens,
pigs and fish that humans do not eat and might otherwise end up in landfills. Mink
manure and other farms wastes are composted to provide high-quality organic
fertilizers. Mink farms provide employment and income to support rural communities.
And while not everyone may choose to wear it, mink fur is an extremely long-lasting,
recyclable, and ultimately biodegradable, natural clothing material.
Mink farms in BC are licensed and inspected annually by the Ministry of

Agriculture, to assure compliance with codes of practice developed by
veterinarians and animal scientists, under the auspices of the National Animal
Care Council.
“Canadian mink consistently register in the top 5% of prices at international

auctions, and you can only produce this quality by assuring the animals receive
excellent nutrition and care,” said Moses.
“It is very disappointing to see one-sided and poorly-informed attacks like this,
at a time when farm families are working hard to protect their animals, their
livelihoods, and their communities,” said Moses. “Canadian farmers need public
support through this difficult time, not ideologically-driven fear-mongering.”
X X X
For information and interviews:

Marianne Patten
Executive Secretary, Canada Mink Breeders Association
canadamink@outlook.com 416-675-9400

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Mink ranchers denounce call for farm ban as “shameful and

Mink farms in BC are licensed and inspected annually by the Ministry of

“Canadian mink consistently register in the top 5% of prices at international

For information and interviews:

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