THE Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries issued a statement on Tuesday on the current status of mink farming in British Columbia following the issuing of a false news release attributed to the B.C. government.

The ministry said: “In July 2021, the provincial health officer placed a moratorium on any new mink farms in B.C. and capped existing mink farms at their current numbers.

“The B.C. government continues to use enhanced surveillance to monitor, inspect and mitigate SARS-CoV-2 infections in mink farms in the province to protect the public, farm workers and animal health, as a provincial review of the mink farming sector in B.C. continues.”

The false press release stated that the ministry “will be permanently phasing out fur farms across British Columbia, by way of a five-month, multi-step process.”