MINKS are Superspreaders Act

Summary#

This bill would change the Animal Welfare Act to make it illegal to transport, sell, receive, acquire, purchase, breed, or possess American mink (Neovison vison) that were raised in captivity for fur production. The ban covers mink alive or dead and includes parts, products, and offspring. The bill exempts certain entities listed in a referenced part of the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981. It also directs the Department of Agriculture (the Secretary) to seek to buy privately owned mink farms, if money is provided by Congress. In deciding how much to offer, the Department must consider a farmer's recent three-year average number of mink and the farm's infrastructure value.

What it means for you#

• Mink farmers who raise American mink for fur would no longer be allowed to keep, breed, or sell those animals across state lines or abroad under the bill.
• People or businesses that buy or sell mink, mink fur, or mink products in interstate or foreign commerce would be affected by the prohibition.
• A federal buyout program is included, but buyouts would only happen if Congress provides funding. The bill makes an exception for certain entities named in a provision of the Lacey Act Amendments.

Expenses#

The bill would create a federal buyout program for mink farms and would therefore require federal spending if appropriations are provided. No publicly available information on total cost estimates or the amount of appropriations needed is included in the bill text.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.