Veterinary Experts Criticize USDA's Response to H5N1 Outbreak at Utah Mink Farm
Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy have publicly criticized federal and Utah authorities for their lack of transparency regarding the first recognized outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 in farmed mink in the United States. The outbreak was confirmed in Utah in August, with reports indicating that 80% of the mink at the affected farm perished. Despite the confirmation of H5N1 in mink samples on August 17, more than a month later, agencies have not disclosed crucial information such as the county of the farm, its mink population, the number of illnesses or deaths, whether mink-to-mink transmission occurred, the fate of the herd, the suspected source, worker-exposure findings, or detailed viral sequence results. This lack of disclosure comes at a time when the Senate Agriculture Committee is considering a Farm Bill provision that would restore federal Market Access Program assistance to the mink industry, despite the industry's significant decline and the USDA terminati...
