A veterinarian answers:
“When harvest time comes around, there are requirements and guidelines that ensure mink are euthanized humanely. A mobile unit is brought to the cages to eliminate stress that might be caused by transporting mink long distances (loading, unloading and transporting animals is generally much more stressful for them than the actual slaughtering operation.) This mobile unit includes a specially designed airtight container which has been prefilled with carbon monoxide. The animals are placed inside, rendered unconscious in less than 30 seconds, and die quickly and humanely.”
A farmer answers:
Farmed mink are usually euthanized with carbon monoxide (CO) gas that very quickly renders the animals irreversibly unconscious. From an animal-welfare perspective, it is also an advantage that mink are euthanized in the barn where they live, by people who feed and care for them every day. Food animals, by contrast, must be transported to often distant abattoirs; being loaded and unloaded from trucks and confined in close quarters with many other animals is often the most stressful part of the slaughtering operation for food animals.
Answer by :
Dr. Hugh Hildebrandt, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
Dan Mullen, President of the Nova Scotia Mink Breeders Association
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