Dear Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister, Denmark, and Mogens Jensen, Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Denmark, Your country is the world's leading producer of furs, an industry which has become synonymous with inhumanity and may be responsible for the next global health crisis. Meanwhile, Danish politicians have varying positions on the future of mink production in the country. Food and Fisheries Minister Mogens Jensen, who has overseen the planned eradication of Denmark’s mink, was grilled by lawmakers on Wednesday. Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article. But once we emptied the farm it was like walking around in a trance.”, Photographer: Carsten Snejbjerg/Bloomberg. Local media reported that all infected mink -- roughly 8 million -- would be dead by late Wednesday. The fate of the animals, some of which were killed in such haste that there were eye-witness reports of thousands of mink carcasses strewn across a public motorway, provides a graphic reminder of the real-world consequences of a string of political missteps in Denmark that could have global consequences. “We’ve seen how that then spreads to humans. But it wasn’t until October that the threat became more urgent as outbreaks spread across the western peninsula of Jutland. In Europe, the Netherlands brought forward plans to shut down the mink industry by 2024 after outbreaks earlier this year. The smell of fertilizer is gone, along with the animals. The law states “that anyone who wants to put down an animal has to ensure that it’s done as painlessly as possible,” Yvonne Johansen, the head of Dyrenes Beskyttelse, said in a statement. That means breeding animals will be wiped out, effectively shuttering the industry. “At first when I heard about it I didn’t believe it,” Vest said at his farm last week. Frederiksen said the strain was serious “not only for Denmark, but the whole world’s handling of coronavirus.”. Some that were buried in mass graves in Jutland started resurfacing because of gas in their rotting bodies. For breeders of small, furry European mink like the 74-year-old Dane, the Covid-19 pandemic has been more than just a threat to his health. Kopenhagen Fur, the largest auction house for furs, announced it was winding down operations after 90 years. For Denmark’s mink pelt industry, which racked up exports of around $800 million last year and employs 4,000 people, the cull could amount to a death knell. Now the country plans to dig up the … Frederiksen’s handling of the crisis has drawn condemnation from a united parliament. Denmark is fighting a new mutation of the coronavirus found in its mink farms. At Knud Vest’s farm an hour’s drive west from Copenhagen, a deathly silence pierces unusual wafts of fresh air. (Bloomberg) -- The mink industry in Denmark, the world’s biggest producer, has effectively been wiped out after a mass slaughter of the animals to fight the coronavirus was rushed through. The industry association for Danish breeders called the move a "black day for Denmark". Millions of mink are currently held captive on mink farms. A warning from the government’s advisers led the prime minister to order the cull on Nov. 4 and police and the military were dispatched to oversee farmers. Unlike the Netherlands, Denmark has not passed legislation aimed at closing its massive mink sector, but … That work has been undermined by a scandal over the government’s handling of a cull of 17 million mink, roughly equivalent to three for every person in the Scandinavian country. Meanwhile, Denmark’s main animal rights group, Dyrenes Beskyttelse, said it plans to involve the police after viewing a video showing a botched cull by state workers. COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Danish fur farmers say they’ve been dealt a major blow after the world’s largest mink fur exporter decided to cull all 15 million minks in Denmark’s farms, to minimize the risk of them re-transmitting the coronavirus to humans — a decision that has also raised eyebrows among health experts. Denmark had already begun killing all mink at 400 farms which were either infected, or close enough to infected farms to cause concern. An emergency bill needing a three-quarters majority has failed, and the legislative process is now in limbo. “This severe over-reaction has in fact done what animal rights activists have been trying to achieve for years.”. That makes it practically impossible to handle the spread during a pandemic.”, For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com, Like us on Facebook to see similar stories, CDC: California among worst in getting vaccines to vulnerable populations, Tom Reed, apologizing over groping allegation, says he won’t run in 2022. Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours. So far, it’s the only country that has eliminated all its mink, though as of Nov. 20 the World Health Organization said the most worrying strain linked to the animals is no longer circulating in humans. Denmark was the world’s largest exporter of mink fur but culled all 15 million of its mink population last year after some were found to be carrying a mutated virus variant, and later banned mink breeding until 1 January 2022. The mink industry in Denmark, the world’s biggest producer, has effectively been wiped out after a mass slaughter of the animals to fight the coronavirus was rushed through. On Nov. 25, Frederiksen dismissed claims she deliberately broke the law as “absurd.” A day later, in a tearful appearance on national television after visiting a local farm, she admitted her handling of the crisis could have been better. The 400 farms account for a little more than one-third of the Danish industry. A video of a failed killing went viral in Denmark, with footage showing a lone, live mink wriggling in a box full of other dead animals. Denmark, though, has more at … The European situation differs in important ways, the industry says. Frederiksen’s government, which still expects a standard bill to pass with a simple majority of more than 50%, wants all Danish mink farming to be banned until 2022. In the United States as of 2020, there are some 120 mink farms producing 2 million pelts a year, with a farm-gate value of US$80 million. A slew of countries, designers, and stores have banned mink farming or mink products in recent years, due to the inhumane abuse of minks in the industry and the devastating environmental impact of fur farming. “It’s a terrible and difficult situation, with the industry being shut down in a single blow,” said Tage Pedersen, the chairman of the Danish … While the fur industry faces tough times, in general, Swabe predicts that Denmark will be the last holdout. A local outbreak of infections in the northwest was traced back to a local mink farmer and several of his 10,000 mink. Denmark is one of the world’s largest producers of mink pelts, along with China, so the culling of all its remaining mink will have huge implications for the fur industry. Danish mink industry was to be liquidated from fear that COVID-19 mutation could neutralize vaccines in development COPENHAGEN, Denmark––The Danish mink industry, on the verge of liquidation as of November 4, 2020 to control a COVID-19 coronavirus mutation, appears to have politically mobilized to win a reprieve––for the mink ranchers, however, not the mink themselves, who … Denmark has said it could pay out more than 19 billion Danish kroner ($3.1 billion, 2.6 billion euros) to its mink farmers after it closed down the industry over coronavirus fears. Thousands of mink have apparently died from coronavirus infections at American farms, the newspaper said. “There’s no way back,” he said in an emailed comment. For Denmark's mink pelt industry, which racked up exports of around $800 million last year and employs 4,000 people, the cull could amount to a death knell. Frederiksen said she wasn’t aware the command was unlawful and continued with the cull. Trucks filled with dead mink dropped carcasses on the roads, while some live animals were stuffed in containers with dead mink. The industry association for Danish breeders called the move a “black day for Denmark.” “Of course, we must not be the cause of … Early last month, Denmark’s government told all mink farmers to kill their stock because of concern that a mutated form of the virus was spreading more quickly than previously thought. Denmark, though, has more at stake. “It’s been an extremely rough process for the families and the mink farmers.”. Until a few weeks ago, Denmark was the world’s biggest producer of mink skins, or pelts. Her government, which initially offered financial incentives to farmers to start culling as soon as possible, has since said it didn’t know the order to kill all Denmark’s mink required new legislation. Vest and his family carefully started the eradication of 23,000 animals, while opposition political parties rounded on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. Further examples: "Mink, introduced in Germany as a fur animal in the 1920s-30s, was introduced in Denmark some time thereafter" is cited to a source that specifies mid-1920s for Denmark; "winter is cool and the summer is mild" is cited to a source that says that the summer is cool and the winter is mild; "1500 farmers who raise about 15.6 million minks" is cited to a source that says that all Danish fur … Testing by health authorities showed the virus had mutated as it traveled from humans to animals and back again. Another issue is the potential economic impact of the cull. Connect with friends faster than ever with the new Facebook app. "Of … Denmark culled 17 million minks in November in response to Covid-19 outbreaks at more than 200 mink farms. “We went into survival mode where we had to solve the task given to us by the government. At that point, it morphed into a full-blown scandal and the minister responsible for veterinary affairs resigned. It’s going to take at least seven years to revive the industry. Denmark's mink cull has in fact been going on for several weeks, with 2.85 million already put down. Yet beyond the political outcry, health experts say Denmark serves as an alarm bell the world needs to heed. Prime Minister Frederiksen ordered the culling of all mink at the farm and two neighboring ones. The mink fur industry has come under new scrutiny after Denmark's mass slaughter of the animals The pictures from Denmark are hard to bear. That’s after farmers acted on a government order which has since been retracted because it broke the law. “It felt like I was under anesthetic,” Vest said of the day the cull was announced. Mink farming is their whole identity.” According to data provided by Fur Europe, an umbrella organization that represents all segments of Europe’s fur industry… Denmark, the world’s largest exporter of mink fur, announced early last month it would cull up to 15 million mink after discovering a mutated version of … The country has roughly 19 million mink at 1,500 fur farms. Denmark fared pretty well through the first wave of the pandemic in spring as a swift lockdown helped halt the spread of the virus while global attention turned to neighboring Sweden’s decision to keep its economy open. The pair discussed the quality of Danish mink fur, while sharing an almond cake. “It’s a terrible and difficult situation, with the industry being shut down in a single blow,” said Tage Pedersen, the chairman of the Danish Fur Breeders’ Association. We can only survive if we have a large, robust business.”. The Danish Fur Breeders’ Association estimated on Wednesday that about two-thirds of that population -- both infected and healthy animals -- have been culled. As Denmark gets dragged into a domestic political battle, scientists worry that the risk that mink mutations pose is misunderstood. (Source: Fur Commission USA.) A scandal in Denmark over the government’s handling of a mink cull is a cautionary tale for the world. Mink farming in numbers Farmed mink is the single most important fur type produced in North America today, in terms of the number of pelts produced and the value of the fur. All 12 cases were identified in September 2020 in North Jutland, Denmark. Meanwhile, the compensation for mink farmers like Vest is being negotiated and the government is introducing legislation effectively banning mink farming throughout 2021. Denmark is the latest entity to join that list, but for a very different reason. Indeed, the past few months have been particularly troubling for the country. “That’s not what I’m seeing here.”. For Denmark's mink pelt industry, which racked up exports of around US$800 million (S$1 billion) last year and employs 4,000 people, the cull could amount to a death knell. The past weeks wiped out his business of more than five decades, and spawned a political crisis in Denmark that’s turned into a cautionary tale of the coronavirus’s potential to endure as a menace.
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