27 April 2020 – After COVID-19 infections were found on two mink farms in the Netherlands, global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS is calling for a rapid ban on fur farming in China and other countries. On Sunday, April 26, the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture confirmed the discovery of the COVID-19 virus after symptoms such as respiratory problems and increased mortality was observed in the animals. A few workers also showed symptoms but have not been tested so far.

Also, during the 2003 SARS pandemic, the virus was detected in racoon dogs, amongst others, which are kept in their millions on fur farms. 

One of Germany's most renowned corona experts, Professor Dr Christian Drosten, who directs the Institute of Virology at the Charité Hospital in Berlin, also suspects racoon dog farms as a possible source of the COVID-19 virus, according to the British newspaper The Guardian.

China as a fur hotspot

China has, by far, the most important fur industry in the world. In 2018, an estimated 21 million mink skins, 17 million fox skins and 12 million racoon dog skins were produced there. Nevertheless, the Chinese government has currently exempted the fur industry from restrictions on wildlife use as a result of the current pandemic and has listed fur animals as farm animals. “Not only wildlife markets must be closed for safety reasons. The fur industry needs to be shut down too and its role in the creation of COVID-19 has to be investigated fastest possible,” says Pietsch. Transmission of the COVID-19 virus from farm animals and pets to humans is currently ruled out.