This isn’t an obscure infection in an isolated wild animal,
Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, said in a news release. It occurred among intensively confined mink, animals with a documented history of amplifying respiratory viruses and providing opportunities for viral evolution. Americans deserve to know what happened and what government found.
The first documented outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in captive mink in the United States occurred at a farm in Salt Lake County, where state records project an 80% mortality rate. The detection has sparked sharp criticism from animal welfare advocates, who describe the official response as dangerously lax and lacking transparency regarding worker exposure, virus sources, and farm populations.
Records and Regulatory Precedent
Documents obtained via public records requests by the Animal Welfare Institute from the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food revealed seven confirmed cases collected in August. State correspondence noted that officials were uncertain of the appropriate containment protocol, with one official stating that without a quarantine standard, our only options at this point are to watch them die or get emergency vaccine approval.
Leon Page, a public information officer for the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, explained that because this marks the first avian influenza outbreak in mink nationwide, no existing precedent exists for treatment or response. Rather than issuing a legal quarantine, the agency issued a verbal hold while investigating potential human transmission. Page noted that while depopulation was used for similar cases in other countries, options considered locally included quarantine, vaccination, and depopulation, though mammal vaccines require authorization from U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.
Advocate Reactions and Public Health Concerns
Animal welfare organizations argue that the situation highlights systemic regulatory gaps in mink farming. Kate Dylewsky, assistant director of government affairs at the Animal Welfare Institute, stated that the lack of preparation and biosecurity measures demonstrates how mink farming operates with almost no oversight, compounding the threat to the public.
In 2020, COVID-19 killed about 12,000 mink across 12 Utah farms. While agriculture officials informed the Utah Department of Health and Human Services to investigate potential transmission, Page stated that human transmission has not yet proven to be a high risk.
