Photo by We Animals
By Jeffrey Phillips
While the dark days of the COVID-19 pandemic may seem like a distant memory, the scientific community continues to actively study potential triggers of the next pandemic. A recent study published in the journal Nature in April 2025 entitled A MERS-CoV-like mink coronavirus uses ACE2 as entry receptor examines the potential role of fur animals in zoonotic (meaning an infectious disease that can jump from non-human animals to humans) coronavirus spillovers.
Though the article is very detailed and ‘science-y’ (to use the technical term), the key takeaway is clear: fur farms continue to pose a public health risk. In the report, the authors warn that “given the risks posed by fur farms as reservoirs for emerging pathogens, our study underscores the urgent need for enhance surveillance to mitigate future coronavirus outbreaks.”
A lack of surveillance in Canada
Regrettably, as we learned from hearings held last year by the Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry related to Bill C-275 (Biosecurity on Farms), the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) does not carry out inspections on farms and there are no data or follow-up on security incidents. Compliance with any biosecurity protocols on fur farms is industry led and at the discretion of the farmer. In Canada, fur farms literally and figuratively operate in the dark.
We are fortunate that the global scientific community continues to study potential triggers of a next pandemic, however, what is needed in Canada is a policy change. Ending fur farming is the most effective way to eliminate the risk of zoonotic disease transmission posed by fur farms. Visit FurFarming.ca to take action today to end fur farming.
About Jeffrey Phillips
Jeffrey Phillips is Lead – Government Relations at the Fur-Bearers. He is Managing Director of Dawson Strategic, a policy research consulting company. Jeff is a Fellow of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, an Expert on the Technical Support Group for the Global Initiative to End Wildlife Crime, and an Ambassador for Wild Tomorrow. Jeff holds a Bachelor of Public Affairs and Policy Management from Carleton University, and a Master of Arts Political Science from the University of British Columbia. He is passionate about nature and the outdoors and currently lives in Toronto, Ontario, on the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples.
