This isn’t an obscure infection in an isolated wild animal,
stated Wayne Pacelle, president of the Center for a Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action, in a news release. Avian influenza has struck captive mink on a Salt Lake County farm in Utah, marking the first time the virus has been documented in the species in the United States and drawing sharp criticism from animal welfare advocates over the state’s handling of the outbreak. Details regarding the event remain publicly unclear, according to animal welfare advocates.
Seven Cases Confirmed in Salt Lake County
According to Department of Agriculture data, seven instances of avian influenza among captive mink in Salt Lake County were collected and confirmed during August. The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food informed the Utah Department of Health and Human Services of the case while investigating potential transmission to humans, though agency public information officer Leon Page stated that human transmission has not yet proven to be a high risk.
The Animal Welfare Institute obtained state documents showing the affected farm expects to lose about 80% of its animals to the disease. This figure is a projection from agency correspondence rather than a confirmed death count. The Animal Welfare Institute published these records on September 17, and The Salt Lake Tribune reported on them September 27.
Advocates Criticize Lack of Public Information
Animal welfare advocates describe the state’s response as dangerously lax. Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy criticized the lack of public information regarding the affected farm’s mink population, the source of the virus, worker exposure findings, and whether mink-to-mink transmission occurred. Kate Dylewsky, assistant director of government affairs at the Animal Welfare Institute, stated that mink farming operates with almost no oversight. She noted that the industry occupies a regulatory gray area between agriculture and wildlife, which has allowed it to slip through the cracks of regulation. State officials weighed placing the property under a quarantine but decided against it because they had no idea what the criteria would be to release it. Officials also reasoned that no live animals leave the farm. Page noted that a vaccine can only be approved by U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.
Regulatory Precedent and Vaccine Hurdles
Because avian influenza in mink is new to the United States, state officials faced an absence of existing treatment or containment precedents. In nations like Spain and Finland, authorities have culled infected animals when bird flu spread through mink farms. Meanwhile, independent disease watchers first found the seven farmed mink detections in USDA’s mammalian H5N1 database on August 21, before any public announcement from government agencies. Hogvet51 and FluTrackers reported the findings on August 21, and Avian Flu Diary noted on August 22 that no mainstream media, World Organization for Animal Health, or Utah agriculture reports existed.
Questions About the Utah Mink Outbreak
How was the outbreak discovered?
The outbreak came to public attention after independent disease watchers found seven farmed mink detections in a USDA mammalian H5N1 database in August, rather than through an announcement by state agriculture or health officials.
What are the projected losses on the farm?
State records released through a public records request show that the affected farm in Salt Lake County expects to lose about 80% of its mink herd to the disease.
Why hasnt a vaccine been administered?
State agriculture officials stated that the treatment requires approval from USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins. The USDA is currently holding internal discussions on when vaccinations may be allowed.
Utah Ranks as the Second-Largest Mink Pelt Producer
Utah is the second-largest producer of mink pelts in the U.S., trailing Wisconsin. The susceptibility of mink to respiratory viruses was highlighted in 2020 when COVID-19 killed approximately 12,000 mink across 12 Utah farms.
Dylewsky said there is really no excuse to not have a plan in place for an outbreak.