New Bird Flu Mutation in Finnish Minks Prompts PETA to Call For Shutdown of Fur Farms

Following reports that tens of thousands of minks will be killed because of a bird flu outbreak – including recent findings of a new mutation of the virus – on Finnish mink farms, PETA rushed a letter to Petteri Orpo, the prime minister of Finland, calling for the immediate and permanent closure of all the country’s fur farms.

As one of the biggest fur-producing countries in Europe, Finland lags behind its many neighbouring countries that have already banned this cruel practice – including Austria, Belgium, Estonia, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the UK.

Public Health Hazard

Fur farming involves cramming large numbers of animals together in rows of wire cages, where bodily fluids such as urine, excrement, pus, and blood can easily pass from one animal to another. This industry risks outbreaks of bird flu, COVID-19, and other dangerous zoonotic pathogens, which can – and do – mutate and spread.

Even without considering the current bird flu outbreak, filthy fur farms packed with sick, stressed, and injured minks are breeding grounds for infectious diseases.

We’re calling on Finland to shut down these cruel, dangerous facilities before they cause the next pandemic.

Nightmare for the Animals

On fur farms, animals are typically forced to live in wire cages so small they can’t take more than a few steps. Many of them suffer from broken bones and untreated infections, and some are missing legs or eyes. These animals are electrocuted, gassed, poisoned, or drowned, and some are still alive when workers skin them.

Fur Is Toxic

In addition to being inherently cruel to animals and dangerous to human health, fur farming emits huge volumes of greenhouse gases, pollutes soil and waterways with waste runoff, and requires massive amounts of land, water, crops, and energy.

What You Can Do

You can speak out against the killing of millions of animals in horrific ways each year by the cruel fur industry. Use our action page, and ask your friends to do the same.