Minneapolis City Council adopted a new code last year that banned fur stores in the city. The move follows many other US cities and the state of California banning the sale of new fur products. More than two dozen country have either voted to ban fur farming or the farming of particular species for fur, or introduced stricter regulations to restrict the practice.

While the fur industry is on a steep downward trend, tens of millions of wild animals like foxes, mink and raccoon dogs still suffer on industrial fur farms around the world. The majority of them are in China, but there are about 100 remaining in the United States, including a few mink and fox farms in Minnesota.

Animals killed for their fur are confined their entire lives in cramped and unsanitary conditions. Zoologists who have studied minks in captivity have discovered that although generations have been bred for their fur, mink suffers greatly in captivity. They lack any behavioral enrichment and suffer in tiny wire cages. no bigger than a microwave. These animals go mad, leading to self-inflicted injuries and cannibalization of their cage mates, and only death – usually by anal electrocution, gassing, or neck snapping – ends their misery.

Today, there is growing evidence that beyond their obvious cruelty, fur factory operations pose additional harm to humans and wildlife.

For example, some fur farms operate along – and threaten – important bodies of water.

Water samples collected by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency a few miles downstream from a fur farm were described by the agency as “not always suitable for swimming and wading due to high levels of bacteria caused by the presence of human or animal waste”. Another report analyzed the water consumption used to produce mink, fox and raccoon dog fur, and found that fur products ranked worst among all other fashion materials in terms of water consumption , surpassing acrylic by 104 times, polyester by 91 times, and cotton by five times.

Fur production also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. A recent One study found that per kilogram, fur generates the most greenhouse gas emissions of all fashion materials: 31 times more than cotton and 25 times more than polyester.

Finally, industrial fur farming poses serious biosecurity and public health risks. Mink fur farming produced three different variations and 13 different mutations of COVID, and there have been COVID outbreaks at 450 mink farms In more than a dozen countries, including the United States, outbreaks have infected farm workers. Many European countries have closed or restricted fur breeding operations due to COVID concerns.

In the United States, including Minnesota, there is virtually no regulation or oversight of these facilities. Most states don’t even require permits to operate a fur farm, much less regular inspections – and since fur farm animals are not raised for consumption, fur farm laws Humane slaughter and animal welfare do not apply.

Providing basic veterinary care to sick or injured animals is entirely the responsibility of the fur farm operator.

Fortunately, Minnesota agencies and lawmakers are beginning to recognize the need for oversight. Last year, state agencies published a report detailing some of the risks posed by fur farms and the need for stronger regulations to protect public health. The report notes that “(m)ink is susceptible and can transmit several notifiable infectious diseases that can infect people, including SARS-CoV-2, influenza, leptospirosis, rabies and toxoplasmosis. »

After the report was released, State Rep. Rick Hansen, DFL-South St. Paul, and a bipartisan group of legislators adopted a bill make it mandatory to monitor fur farming in our state. The new law requires fur farmers to register with the Department of Natural Resources and gives the agency the authority to inspect such facilities and test for disease.

However, industrial fur farms will continue to pose great risks to all of us, absent strict regulations requiring proactive testing for infectious diseases; mandatory inspections; environmental contamination limits; and basic animal welfare standards.

With so many options available for eco-friendly and cruelty-free fashion materials, we simply shouldn’t leave fur aside, given its significant harm to animals, the environment and human health.

Minnesota lawmakers can take action to completely ban industrial fur farming in our state, and in the meantime, at the local level, city councils can eliminate the sale of new fur products, joining many other cities that have already done it.

There should be no thorny or divisive issues when it comes to fur, but rather simple moral and practical imperatives that lead to the inescapable conclusion that it is time for us to consign this failing industry to history.