SARS-CoV-2 in animals used for fur farming: GLEWS+ risk assessment, 20 January 2021

Overview

This Tripartite assessment focuses on fur farms, considering that so far the only farms reporting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 are mink fur farms. The presence of this virus in the mink farms may have an important impact on livelihoods, public health and wildlife contributing to widespread socioeconomic disruption. In addition, the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in fur farms impacts animal welfare and poses a risk of spillover to native wildlife which may affect the biodiversity of species.

This risk assessment is conducted at regional level to assess the overall risk of introduction and spread of SARS-CoV-2 within the fur farms, the spillover from fur farm to humans and the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from fur farm animals to susceptible wildlife populations.