Mink VIRUS Act
Photo by Jo-Anne McArthur/Djurrattsalliansen/We Animals
Overview
The bipartisan “Mink: Vectors for Infection Risk in the United States Act” (Mink VIRUS Act) would end the farming of mink for fur, after a one-year phase-out period, and establish a USDA grant program to reimburse mink farmers for the full value of their farm.
Take Action: Take Action to End Mink Fur FarmingFur farms house mink in crowded, cruel environments that create an ideal setting for dangerous viruses to spread. Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) has reintroduced H.R. 2185, the Mink: Vectors for Infection Risk in the United States Act (Mink VIRUS Act), to address this animal cruelty and public health problem.
A growing body of science indicates that mink on fur farms incubate respiratory diseases that can be passed to humans. The crowded conditions on fur farms, where wire cages are packed together and the mink are highly stressed, heighten the risk of disease spread. In fact, these farms have already spawned new variants of dangerous viruses, including those that cause COVID-19 and bird flu.
In addition, taxpayer dollars have been used to prop up mink farms, subsidizing an industry that was already in decline before the COVID-19 pandemic. The Mink VIRUS Act would phase out mink farming in the US over one year and establish a grant program to reimburse mink farmers for the full value of their farm so that they’re able to transition to another industry.
Take Action for Farmed Animals
Take Action to End Mink Fur Farming
A growing body of science indicates that mink on fur farms incubate respiratory diseases that can be passed to humans. The crowded conditions on fur farms, where wire cages are packed together and the mink are highly stressed, heighten the risk of disease spread. Please urge your representative to cosponsor the Mink VIRUS Act (H.R. 2185) to protect both mink and human health. This legislation would phase out mink farming in the United States over one year and establish a grant program to reimburse mink farmers for the full value of their farm so that they’re able to transition to another industry.
Animals on Factory Farms
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