Since the first reports of COVID-19 outbreaks on Utah fur farms, UARC has recognized the grave public health threat posed by the operation of these fur farms, which will act as an enduring reservoir for the virus that causes COVID-19 and also a source of mutations for the virus into forms that could be more lethal, transmissible, or evasive of our therapeutics.
Below is a basic timeline of our efforts to capture the attention of decisionmakers, as well as links to original source material.
- August 19, 2020: UARC writes to Governor Gary Herbert asking that he take seriously the recent reports of COVID-19 outbreaks on Utah mink farms and suspend all breeding operations. UARC also starts a public grassroots lobbying effort encouraging Utahns to contact Governor Herbert’s office to voice their concerns.
- October 13, 2020: Following reports of several more ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks on Utah fur farms, UARC again writes to Governor Herbert pleading with his office to take the matter seriously and suspend breeding operations.
- October 14, 2020: UARC releases a leaked video from the Fur Commission USA’s annual meeting, held via Zoom. In the leaked clip, Dr. John Easley, DVM, states that researchers have demonstrated that the virus that causes COVID-19 “was brought on to farms by humans, the virus changed in the mink, and that changed virus was then transmitted back to people, and the people that got infected, transmitted that virus to other people.” This alarming statement was in glaring contradiction with public assurances from Utah’s state veterinarian and other public statements issued by the fur industry.
- October 14, 2020: The Salt Lake Tribune reports on the leaked fur industry video as well as UARC’s efforts pushing for a ban on mink farm breeding.
- October 14, 2020: UARC submits a public records request pursuant to Utah’s state records law, GRAMA, with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) for various records related to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks at Utah mink farms as well as the state’s handling of the crisis.
- October 19, 2020: UDAF responds to UARC’s October 14, 2020 GRAMA request, denying access to the vast majority of the records sought.
- October 30, 2020: UARC holds a public protest at the K&J Fur Farm, located at 1440 W. Main Street, Lehi, UT 84043.
- November 12, 2020: UARC appeals UDAF’s denial of access to records. As per GRAMA, UARC submits its appeal to Kelly Pehrson, Chief Administrative Officer for UDAF.
- November 24, 2020: UDAF denies UARC’s administrative appeal.
- December 2, 2020: UARC submits an appeal of UDAF’s denial to the Utah State Records Committee, a governmental body of individuals appointed by the Governor to resolve disputes over public records.
- December 3, 2020: Finding that “good cause” exists, the State Records Committee grants UARC’s request for an expedited hearing, set for Thursday, December 10, 2020.
- December 4, 2020: UARC publishes an open letter to Dr. Angela Dunn, state epidemiologist for the Utah Department of Health. In its letter, UARC asks Dr. Dunn use her platform as an eminent public health leader in Utah to push for interventions to stop the thread emanating from UARC mink farms.
- December 7, 2020: In an effort to delay the hearing, UDAF’s attorneys file a Motion for Continuance. UARC immediately objects to the motion, citing potential for catastrophe if the ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks on Utah mink farms are not properly addressed. The Records Committee ultimately preserves the hearing date for December 10, 2020.
- December 8, 2020: UDAF submits to the Records Committee its written reply, containing its basis for denying the public access to information about the COVID-19 outbreaks on Utah fur farms.
- December 9, 2020: UARC submits a GRAMA request for data sharing/confidentiality agreements that UDAF has with outside agencies. UDAF relied on these purported agreements, in part, to deny access to UARC’s October 14, 2020 request.
- December 10, 2020: The Utah State Records Committee heard the appeal of UARC vs. Utah Dept. of Agriculture and Food (Case 2020-131) at 1:00 pm. The committee moved to delay its decision until its January 14, 2021 hearing.
- December 15, 2020: UARC receives records from Washington State University, pursuant to a Washington state open records request, which reveals for the first time that at least two mink farms with COVID-19 outbreaks are located in Utah County. Washington State University was in possession of these records because it performed some of the laboratory testing at the request of the state of Utah. UDAF denied UARC access to these same records under Utah’s state records law. The records also reveal that several workers on these farms became sick with respiratory infections and at least one farm manager died of COVID-19.
- December 15, 2020: UARC submits a GRAMA request to Utah State University, which records from Washington State revealed also handled some of the laboratory testing related to COVID-19 outbreaks on Utah mink farms.
- December 16, 2020: UDAF responds to UARC’s December 9 GRAMA request, stating that the earliest it could provide records would be January 15, 2021, which is one day after the scheduled records committee hearing.
- December 17, 2020: UARC appeals UDAF’s denial of access to data sharing/confidentiality agreements that the agency has with outside entities.
- January 5, 2021: The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) releases its first installment of records regarding COVID-19 outbreaks on Utah mink farms.
- January 25, 2021: The Utah State Records Committee issues its Order that UDAF release records, in a redacted form, related to compensation of mink farmers and cooperation with outside entities. Its “reports” about COVID-19 outbreaks on mink farms and investigative documents may remain withheld from public view.