Bird Flu Outbreak at Utah Mink Farm Draws Public Safety Concerns and Criticism

Animal welfare groups are criticizing the state’s response to a bird flu outbreak at a Utah mink farm, describing it as “dangerously lax.” The criticism comes as details about the outbreak remain largely unclear to the public.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), seven cases of avian influenza among captive mink in Salt Lake County were collected and confirmed in August. The USDA noted that this data may be incomplete. A spokesperson for the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) stated that due to the outbreak’s limited reach and ongoing nature, the department was unable to provide specific details to protect the producer's privacy.

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) found through a public records request to the UDAF that the affected farm was expecting to lose approximately 80% of its mink to the disease. Furthermore, officials were uncertain about the appropriate protocol to contain the virus. An official indicated that without a standard to quarantine the farm, the options were limited to watching the animals die or obtaining emergency vaccine approval.

Leon Page, a UDAF public information officer, said that this avian influenza outbreak is the first of its kind documented in mink in the country, meaning there is no existing precedent for treatment or response. Page noted that UDAF staff support producers and work to maximize safety and minimize damage.

However, advocacy groups remain concerned. Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy criticized the limited information released to the public, including the farm’s mink population, whether mink-to-mink transmission occurred, the virus’s source, or any findings regarding worker exposure. Wayne Pacelle, president of both groups, highlighted that the outbreak occurred among "intensively confined mink," animals known for amplifying respiratory viruses and fostering viral evolution. He stated that Americans deserve to know what transpired and what the government discovered.

Kate Dylewsky, assistant director of government affairs at the Animal Welfare Institute, warned that a single mutation of the virus could trigger a human health crisis. She added that the failure of state and federal officials to prepare for this scenario or implement necessary biosecurity measures demonstrates a lack of oversight in mink farming, compounding the public threat.

Page confirmed that the UDAF informed the Utah Department of Health and Human Services (UDHHS) to investigate the possibility of human transmission, which has not yet proven to be a high risk. The department also issued a “verbal hold” to the facility rather than a legal quarantine, preceding further investigation.

Page explained that options contemplated by the department include depopulation, quarantine, and vaccination. However, vaccine approval must come from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, not state departments. Page added that research is limited on avian flu in mink, and there is little guidance for vaccine dosage or efficacy. If approved, the vaccine would be closely tracked by the state veterinarian to prevent diversion to other farms. Similar international cases often resorted to depopulation, offering little precedent for alternative protocols, Page noted.

This incident follows a 2020 event where COVID-19 killed about 12,000 mink in Utah, which is one of the top mink-producing states in the country.