Illinois Bill Requiring Disease Monitoring on Mink Farms Passes House Committee Niki Thu, 03/13/2025 - 14:52 Photo by We Animals Media March 13, 2025 Washington, DC—The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) celebrates today’s passage of the Mink Facility Disease Prevention Act (H.B. 2627) in the Public Health Committee of the Illinois House of Representatives. The bill now heads to the full Illinois House for a vote.This legislation, sponsored by state Rep. Joyce Mason (D-61), would protect public health and human safety by requiring disease prevention and surveillance measures at farms that raise and slaughter mink for their fur. Mink farms in Illinois would be required to obtain a license from the state Department of Public Health and meet commonsense requirements for disease surveillance and containment.The Mink Facility Disease Prevention Act comes in response to a growing body of scientific research that shows mink on fur farms incubate diseases such as COVID-19 and avian influenza, creating the perfect conditions for new variants to jump to humans—with potentially devastating results.“The cramped conditions on mink farms are not only bad from an animal welfare standpoint but we also cannot ignore the risk of disease proliferation and the possibility of human infection,” said Susan Millward, AWI’s executive director and chief executive officer. “For far too long, these farms have operated without any meaningful oversight, despite their capacity to spawn potentially devastating viruses. Pandemic prevention requires a multifaceted approach, and this bill is crucial to that effort.” Media Contact Information Marjorie Fishman, Animal Welfare Institutemargie@awionline.org, (202) 446-2128 The Animal Welfare Institute (awionline.org) is a nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1951 and dedicated to alleviating animal suffering caused by people. We seek to improve the welfare of animals everywhere: in agriculture, in commerce, in our homes and communities, in research, and in the wild. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, and LinkedIn for updates and other important animal protection news.