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Thought of the Day - November 12 2021 - Mink, Mink and More Mink

Since the start of the pandemic, scarcely a quarter goes by without another mink-related story.


Of the 70 mink farms across Canada, there are currently nine operating in B.C. Mink on three different B.C. farms have tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 since last November. Bonnie Henry has stated there is ongoing transmission of COVID-19 between humans and mink on one of the farms in the province.


Last week British Columbia announced it is beginning a process to phase out the farming of mink in the province. The province plans to implement a permanent ban on breeding mink, with a ban on housing live mink at the existing farms by April 2023 and the end of all mink farm operations, with all remaining pelts sold, by April 2025. In the meantime, mink farmers and their workers will be provided provincial support as they wind down their operations.


Unsurprisingly, mink breeders are slamming the province’s decision, calling it radical and unnecessary, and that it is driven by vocal minority groups.


Of course, the truth is somewhere in the middle. If there was really significant imminent risk, then BC would have followed the approach taken by Denmark, who ordered the slaughter of millions of mink in November 2020, rather than take three years. On the other hand, given that despite all of the measures taken in BC transmission is still happening, something more does need to be done.


I guess another option would have been to follow the lead of Nova Scotia. They plan on giving 54,000 vaccine doses to their mink, the cost of which will be split between the province and the federal government. When BC health officials were asked if they had considered this option, they responded that they were concerned that not enough testing had been done on COVID vaccines. Oh, the irony.


Cheers

Cliff





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