Fraser Valley/Vancouver – The organization Ban Fur Farms BC (BFFBC) has sent a letter to Dr. Bonnie Henry and the Minister of Health Adrian Dix, requesting them to disallow the Ministry of Agriculture from accepting new fur farm applications in British Columbia, due to COVID-19 concerns. The request comes on the heels of three COVID-19 outbreaks on fur farms within British Columbia, thus far.
In the BC Legislature on June 3, Hon. Lana Popham stated that she will not be taking any action with regards to fur farms from a Ministry of Agriculture point of view and is standing by on direction from Public Health. Hon. Popham: “As far as making decisions around mink operations and COVID and shutting farms down or not, we take our guidance from the Public Health Officer on that.”
Dr. Bonnie Henry has previously called the virus’s presence at fur farms a matter of “great concern,” and at the end of 2020, she advised against the continued breeding of these animals. Despite that recommendation, the Ministry of Agriculture approved breeding to begin in Spring 2021, with fur farms still under quarantine.
A recent FOI request reveals that the Ministry of Agriculture has also been entertaining the potential establishment of two new fur farms (in Prince George and Langley) throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, one of which being a fox farm.
Upon hearing this news, BFFBC has asked the Minister of Heath for all fur farm applications in British Columbia to be halted: “ In the face of the pandemic and several outbreaks on fur farms, we are requesting that Public Health immediately disallows any new fur farm applications to be submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture.”
Over the past year, hundreds of outbreaks of COVID-19 have occurred on fur farms globally, with many nations taking decisive action to end fur farming in their jurisdictions.
BFFBC states that, “to learn that Lana Popham allowed the industry to breed more mink, despite outbreaks, and is entertaining new applications in the middle of the pandemic, is extremely concerning. It is of urgent nature that we acknowledge the risks posed by fur farms and halt the processes that may lead to new fur farms, and in turn, new variants, outbreaks, and another myriad of public health crises.”
