Mink VIRUS Act Reintroduced In The U.S. House To Ban Horrific Mink Farming

This week, Congressman Adriano Espaillat (D-NY-13) reintroduced the Mink: Vectors for Infection Risk in the United States Act (H.R. 2185), also known as the Mink VIRUS Act. This vital piece of legislation aims to protect public health by reducing the risk of zoonotic diseases, which are diseases that can jump from animals to humans. The bill would phase out mink farming in the U.S. over the course of one year, while offering grants to help farmers transition to more sustainable industries.

Mink farms are notorious for their inhumane and unsanitary conditions. Animals are often confined to tiny, overcrowded cages that deprive them of space and proper care, leading to immense suffering. These conditions are not just cruel—they are also a breeding ground for diseases. The Fur Commission USA, which represents mink farmers, admits that disease transmission is a major risk of mink farming. The problem is particularly urgent today, as outbreaks of avian flu (H5N1) have spread across the U.S. since 2022, infecting millions of poultry and wild birds, and even jumping to mammals, including humans.

In 2024, avian flu was detected in cows, sparking a multistate outbreak on dairy farms. This mutation has made the virus even more transmissible and severe, raising alarms about further risks to both animals and people. While no U.S. mink farms have reported avian flu outbreaks yet, Europe has seen tens of thousands of mink infected with the virus, which led to their culling in an effort to prevent further spread.

Mink farms have also been linked to COVID-19 outbreaks. Tens of thousands of farmed minks in the U.S. and millions worldwide contracted COVID-19, with documented cases of minks transmitting the virus to humans.

Despite these dangers, the federal government has supported the mink farming industry with millions of dollars in loans to offset losses from COVID-19 outbreaks, even as mink-to-human transmission was confirmed. The evidence is clear: mink farming is not only cruel but dangerous to human and animal health.

This bill, however, represents a hopeful step toward change. By phasing out mink farming and investing in sustainable alternatives, we can protect both public health and animal welfare. Banning mink farming is not just an ethical imperative; it is a necessary action to safeguard our future.

According to Animal Legal Defense Fund, cities and states in the U.S. and abroad, including Israel, are increasingly banning the sale of fur, further shrinking the market for fur products. In 2019, California became the first state in the U.S. to ban fur sales, following similar actions by Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berkeley, and West Hollywood. In 2020, Wellesley, Massachusetts, became the first East Coast city to implement a fur sales ban, with several other Massachusetts municipalities soon following suit.

Other U.S. cities, including Ann Arbor, Michigan; Boulder, Colorado; Etna, Pennsylvania; and Hallandale Beach, Florida, have also passed similar bans. On the international stage, countries such as Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, the Netherlands, Romania, and the United Kingdom have either banned or are in the process of phasing out mink farming.