Preventing the spread of disease is one of the biggest challenges for mink farmers. Disease can spread quickly on farms, where thousands of mink are closely confined in wire cages. Fur farmers depend on vaccines to protect against highly contagious and deadly diseases such as distemper, mink viral enteritis and botulism. With COVID-19 now killing mink on fur farms in the U.S. and across Europe, the industry is also counting on the development of a vaccine that will be effective against COVID-19 transmission.

Vaccine supply has long been a problem for the mink industry. In 2013, Merck Animal Health stopped producing mink vaccines, leaving United Vaccines (Verona, WI) as the only supplier of vaccines for mink farmers in the U.S. Then in early 2020, United Vaccines was purchased by Ceva, one of the largest "animal health" companies in the world. Ceva is also the main producer of vaccines for mink farmers in Canada and Europe.

Without commercially available vaccines, the fur industry dies.

The fur industry has tried to manage diseases that are made worse by the crowded, stressful and unhealthy conditions on fur farms. But you can't fix what's wrong with fur farming! The solution is to empty fur farms and close down the industry.

You Can Help
The fur industry worldwide depends on Ceva to produce the vaccines it needs to survive, but mink vaccines are a very small part of Ceva's business. Please join us in urging Ceva to stop propping up an inherently cruel industry.

photo of mink: Jo-Anne McArthur / Djurrattsalliansen