Coronavirus Found on Mink Farms in Utah

After numerous cases on European mink fur farms, coronavirus has hit a farm in the United States. Coronavirus was found on a mink farm in Utah. After numerous deaths were reported on a farm, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed that the coronavirus had infected the mammals.

Denmark, the Netherlands and Spain have each reported multiple infections on mink farms. Authorities noted that hundreds of thousands of animals were killed to help prevent the spread of the virus. In the United States, there are 245 mink farms in 22 states. Utah state veterinarian Dean Taylor said the incident has, “big implications.”

Tom Baldwin, a veterinary pathologist at Utah State University, Logan, said that infected mink on the farms would be killed. Utah farms are responsible for over 550,000 mink pelts annually.

Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, has called for a ban on fur farm trade. Block said in a blog post on the Utah cases, “These are the first confirmed cases of the virus in mink on fur farms in the United States and they intensify the urgency around closing down these operations, which have already emerged as hotspots for the pandemic in several countries.”

Source: Peta UK/Youtube

Read more about mink and fur farms during coronavirus, including the coronavirus spread through Dutch farms, a million mink killed by Dutch fur farms during coronavirus, Spain Kills 100,000 Mink Over Coronavirus, and the Dutch government’s previous statement on mink and the coronavirus.

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