Fur farms packed with sick, stressed, and suffering animals are revolting places. And because minks are particularly susceptible to respiratory illnesses, mink farms around the world have become dangerous breeding grounds for disease and have been identified as COVID-19 hotspots.
When it comes to the risk of disease, fur farms are no different to the live-animal market in which the novel coronavirus is believed to have originated. It’s easy for infectious diseases to spread on fur farms through the exchange of urine, excrement, pus, and blood. Minks with infections, sores, and festering, open wounds caused by the wire flooring they stand on are a common sight. Many are driven to self-mutilation or cannibalisation of their cagemates by the stress of captivity. They’re gassed at just 6 months old so their skin can be turned into a coat, a pompom, or another frivolous fashion item that no one needs.
Other countries have already taken decisive action to ban these cruel places. The Dutch parliament voted by an overwhelming majority to bring forward the implementation of a fur-farming ban in the country, and France and Poland are enacting legislation against mink farming. Such bans are already in place in dozens of other countries, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Israel, and the UK.
Denmark, the world’s largest mink-fur producer, must follow suit and ban fur farming permanently to spare the lives of humans and other animals.