Lawsuit alleges undue influence exerted when health authorities closed Fraser Valley farms in 2021
B.C.’s ban on mink farming was done “under the guise” of health concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a lawsuit filed by Fraser Valley farmers.
Three fur farms in Langley and Abbotsford are suing provincial authorities over the 2021 closure of mink farming operations in the province.
Dogwood Fur Farm and Williams Fur Farm, located in Aldergrove and Langley, and Engebretson Fur Farm, in Abbotsford, all launched lawsuits against a host of BC ministries and agencies on November 3.
The lawsuits name the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Health, Agriculture Minister Lana Popham, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and B.C.’s chief veterinarian Rayna Gunvaldsen.
The Williams and Dogwood lawsuits were filed by the same attorneys and use essentially the same language in their claims against the government. Due to a court filing error, documents detailing the Engebretson lawsuit were not immediately available, but they were filed the same day as the other actions.
The lawsuits claim that health authorities did not act on the basis of scientific data and expert opinions, “but rather were influenced and/or pressured by others” to terminate operations.
The closures were “motivated by political, social and public opinion reasons,” the Dogwood lawsuit says.
The lawsuits do not specify who allegedly influenced the decisions, but animal rights groups have long denounced mink farming.
In 2008, animal rights activists released about 6,000 mink from a farm in Langley. Most have been taken back.
Mink have also escaped from area farms, and it is not uncommon to see mink in rural areas of Langley and Abbotsford.
The Williams and Dogwood trials tell the story of the COVID-19 pandemic and mink farms.
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It was discovered early in the pandemic that minks were particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, with some fur farms suffering significant losses when the virus spread to the animals from workers.
There was concern that mink could serve as a reservoir for the virus, where it could mutate into new strains, which could in turn infect humans again.
In 2020, Denmark culled 17 million mink after outbreaks on more than 200 farms in the country,
Documents filed by Dogwood and Williams farms note that throughout 2021, provincial authorities consulted with local fur farms on how to manage the issue.
There has been no discussion of a total ban on the industry, the farms say.
The final decision to ban mink farming was announced to farmers on November 5, 2021, “without warning and without consulting mink breeders,” the plaintiffs claim.
The closure prohibited further breeding, and farms were required to no longer have live mink on their farms by April 1, 2023, and pelts would have to be removed by April 1, 2025.
“British Columbia is the only Canadian province to have banned mink farming,” the statement said, while other provinces have opted for vaccination programs for minks on their farms.
The lawsuit claims officials knew the risks of COVID-19 in mink “were low and could be mitigated through biosecurity and other measures that did not involve a ban on mink farming.”
After being denied a request to stay the provincial decision, Dogwood and the other farms have since closed their doors and decommissioned their operations.
The lawsuits seek unspecified damages, based on the financial impact of the closures, but also on emotional pain and suffering and loss of estate planning.
None of the allegations in the lawsuits have been tested in court, and the government agencies being sued have yet to respond.