COVID19 & Minks - It's time to ban fur!

​www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/thousands-minks-die-covid-19-utah-farms-n1242754

​www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54893287

A week or so ago, I posted about a saddening story from Denmark regarding millions of innocent mink on fur farms that were ordered to be euthanized after it was discovered that the mink were not only vulnerable to the virus, but could transmit it back to us in a mutated state. This discovery prompted a mass culling of mink on fur farms throughout the country with roughly 17 million mink potentially set to be euthanized. Well, it seems now there is yet another outbreak of covid on a mink farm in Utah that has lead to the deaths of over 10, 000 farmed mink. Can we address the elephant in the room here?

Photo taken from BBC News - I do not own this picture.

There have been outbreaks of covid on mink farms reported in several places including Denmark, Spain, Italy, and the United States. Minks are either rapidly dying from the virus or being culled to prevent the spread of the virus. How can we ignore the fact that this appears to be the biggest sign imaginable that we need to end fur farming once and for all? Millions of mink are set to be culled to protect humans and yet we intend to simply pick up the pieces and start from scratch? This is an opportunity for us as a global community to not only stop the spread, but stop the exploitation and needless slaughter of mink.

Fur farming is abhorrent. These animals are literally bred for the sole purpose of being skinned. Their bodies are then discarded like trash, tossed into a pile of corpses to be disposed of. These animals live only a fraction of their potential lives, crammed into filthy cages with little access to appropriate food, water, and veterinary care. These poor animals watch in horror as others of their kind are electrocuted or bludgeoned followed by having their pelts literally ripped form their bodies. It's absolutely sickening that this industry continues despite overwhelming support across the globe to end fur farming.

t's time to give grants and government assistance to fur farmers to transition to other forms of farming. These initiatives would allow fur farmers the opportunity to transition to plant based farming which could include a variety of crops such as hemp, produce, or other plants. We need to recognize the significance of these horrific outbreaks and how susceptible minks are to these virus'. We need to recognize the absurdity of culling all of these animals only to start from scratch once again. Are we honestly so ignorant and naïve to think that another illness / virus won't work its way through the mink fur industry in the future? The only way to prevent this is to stop farming minks for fur, it's as simple as that.

Countries across the globe have stepped up and banned fur farming in their country's only to allow the import of furs from other countries who have yet to enact a ban. It's wholly hypocritical to ban the production of fur but happily import it from other countries. You can't commit to animal welfare by turning a blind eye to suffering. Whether you're skinning them yourself or paying someone else to do it, you're complicit. What we need to see, especially after the massive loss of life within the mink fur industry is a complete ban on fur farming across the globe. There is no other way to prevent future spreading of virus' within the mink fur industry outside of banning fur farming altogether. What more evidence could we need that it's time to drop fur? How many million more innocent, exploited minks have to suffer before we recognize that it's time to end fur farming?

HAPPY VEG