Fraser Valley – The BC SPCA is calling for a moratorium on mink farming in British Columbia through an immediate suspension of all mink farm licenses, after eight workers on a Fraser Valley fur farm tested positive for COVID-19. More than 200 mink have died on the farm, and samples from mink on the farm have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans.
Conflicting reports put the farm in either Abbotsford or Chilliwack.
The BC SPCA, the province’s largest animal welfare organization, has written to B.C.’s Chief Veterinary Officer, the Provincial Health Officer and Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, expressing concerns for public and animal health and the need to immediately suspend all fur farm licenses. Geoff Urton of the BC SPCA says the moratorium is needed to reduce the risk of further disease spread in B.C. communities, including the risk to wild animals.
