Mink VIRUS Act
Key claim: The Mink VIRUS Act would prohibit mink fur farming in the United States one year after enactment and establish a USDA compensation program for affected farm owners.
Abstract
(HR2185 · 119th Congress) Mink: Vectors for Infection Risk in the United States Act or the Mink VIRUS Act This bill prohibits the farming of mink for their fur beginning one year after the bill’s enactment and establishes a compensation program. Beginning 90 days after the bill’s enactment, any termination of farmed mink must be done in a manner that (1) meets the definition of euthanasia specified in Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations (i.e., the humane destruction of an animal accomplished by a method that produces rapid unconsciousness and subsequent death without evidence of pain or distress, or that utilizes anesthesia that causes painless loss of consciousness and subsequent death); and (2) is classified as acceptable by the American Veterinary Medical Association Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals. This prohibition and these requirements do not preempt or limit any state law or regulation that is more restrictive. Further, any person in violation of this prohibition or these requirements is subject to civil penalties. USDA must establish a payment program to compensate fur farm owners whose operations involve the farming of mink. Under the program, USDA must provide payments for (1) the reasonable costs incurred to comply with this bill, and (2) the market value of the portion of the farm involving mink farming (exclusive of the land). Fur farm owners may not use payment funds for fur farm operations. Further, the owner must provide USDA with a permanent property easement that prohibits the operation of any fur farm on the easement area. Latest action (2025-04-18): Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry.
Why this matters
The Mink VIRUS Act represents a rare federal move to end an entire livestock sector on animal welfare and zoonotic disease grounds, pairing prohibition with a USDA-administered buyout — a policy template that could inform how Congress phases out other contested animal agriculture practices. For the roughly 100 remaining U.S. mink farms the bill offers compensation but permanent land-use restrictions, while consumer and food-price effects are negligible since mink are not a food commodity.