Everyaction,

Mink farming in Oregon poses grave dangers to both people and wildlife. So last month the Center for Biological Diversity urged the state's Department of Fish and Wildlife to add minks to its prohibited species list, effectively banning mink farming unless it can meet stringent guidelines to protect public safety. 

You can help: Tell the state to adopt the common-sense rules we've proposed.

Last year minks were recognized as a worldwide disease threat after farmed minks in Denmark transmitted a new variant of COVID-19 to people. Like many places around the globe, Oregon is experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks on its mink farms.

Minks are particularly vulnerable to respiratory viruses — and notorious for escaping the farms where they're bred for their fur. This means the risk of COVID-19 jumping from farmed minks to wild minks is high. In January Oregon officials reported that 2 out of 3 minks trapped outside a COVID-19-infected mink farm had escaped while the facility was under quarantine and tested positive for COVID. Escaped minks are a threat to other native species such as fishers, martens and otters. 

We can't let mink-farming operations spread disease into the wild for the sake of an outdated, dwindling industry that churns out pelts for luxury markets.

Urge Oregon officials to protect public health and wildlife by banning mink farms.