Bird flu was detected at a Utah mink farm, raising concerns about the response
Utah officials learned in mid-August that mink at C&T Fenn Farms were dying of bird flu, according to state public-records disclosures. State veterinarian Amanda Price sought help from the USDA but was told it did not regulate mink farms. Officials did not monitor workers for symptoms. Pirbright Institute avian influenza researcher Tom Peacock said the absence of prompt depopulation was concerning.
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A bird flu outbreak at C&T Fenn Farms, a Utah mink farm about an hour’s drive south of Salt Lake City, prompted concern over the state’s response. Utah agriculture officials learned in mid-August that mink were dying of the virus, according to communications released under the state’s public records law. State veterinarian Amanda Price sought help from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and was told the agency did not regulate mink farms. Utah never seriously considered culling the animals; a fur-trade representative warned that doing so would kill the business and ultimately the industry. Tom Peacock, an avian influenza researcher at the Pirbright Institute, said infected fur farms in other countries had been quickly depopulated and called Utah’s response concerning. Officials also did not monitor mink workers for symptoms, despite CDC guidance urging it.
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Verifier’s note
The Guardian reports a bird-flu outbreak at a Utah mink farm and says the state veterinarian sought federal help but was told USDA did not regulate mink farms. NewsGram describes the same outbreak and response concerns, while the other results do not report this central event.