Danish farmers turn their backs on mink after Covid mutation cull

Danish mink breeders have turned their backs on the trade en masse after being compelled to cull their animals over fears a Covid-19 mutation may pose a danger to human well being.

In November 2020, Denmark, at that time the world’s largest mink producer, controversially introduced it could cull roughly 15 million animals as a result of fears a Covid-19 mutation shifting from mink to people may jeopardise future vaccines.

The Danish authorities quickly banned mink farming and the breeding of the animals for their fur, later extending the ban till 2023.

Officials have now mentioned only a handful of producers within the nation have chosen to renew enterprise if the ban lifts in 2023. Greece, Poland and North America are actually anticipated to extend manufacturing to make up the shortfall.

The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (FVST) instructed the Guardian solely 13 breeders had utilized for the compensation that will permit them to doubtlessly proceed breeding mink in 2023. Another 1,246 breeders utilized for the compensation to finish their mink farming.

The FVST mentioned, for the reason that cull, it had discovered three circumstances of illegally farmed mink, two in December 2021 and one in February 2022. It added that £2.1bn had been paid out in compensation to the trade after the ban.

Denmark’s State Serum Institute (SSI) confirmed that the mutated virus that sparked the cull, often known as Cluster 5, is now thought-about extinct. It has not been detected since September 2020.

The Danish authorities is anticipated to problem a choice later this month on whether or not mink breeding can safely restart subsequent 12 months. It stays attainable that restricted breeding could also be allowed.

International Fur Federation CEO, Mark Oaten, was upbeat about international mink farming, declaring that each one North American mink have now acquired Covid-19 vaccinations, and {that a} European vaccination programme is beneath approach. He was pessimistic, nevertheless, about Denmark. Even if breeding is allowed to proceed subsequent 12 months, Oaten sees three boundaries to its resumption.

“The first problem is that the infrastructure has disappeared in Denmark, so it’s very hard to get hold of the feed,” he mentioned. The second issue is that the federal government’s resolution on a restart is being made solely after the compensation deadline, making any restarts “a huge gamble”. A 3rd issue, he mentioned, is a generational problem, with many farmers reaching retirement age.

More broadly, Oaten mentioned it was a “hugely complex time” for the fur sector, with sanctions and lockdowns in two of its greatest markets, Russia and China, coming on prime of the Danish mink shortfall of about 10 million pelts.

In the long term, Oaten mentioned: “We are expecting countries like Greece and Poland and North America to help fill that shortfall [of pelts] but that will take a few years.” Nor does Oaten concern additional bans in Europe, partly, he mentioned, due to the detrimental fallout the Danish authorities confronted for its mink cull.

Animal welfare campaigners mentioned legislative proposals to ban fur farming are actually into consideration throughout Europe, together with in Latvia, Lithuania and Bulgaria, with compensation being a key problem.

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