Closure of All Fur Farms in Europe
Government officials said that a mutation of the virus could affect the effectiveness of the vaccine in humans
On Danish mink farms, the coronavirus jumped to animals, mutated, and could thus pose a new threat against which a vaccine may not be effective. The country is now taking drastic action.
Out of concern for the implications for future coronavirus vaccines, all minks in Denmark are being culled. This was announced by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at an online press conference in Copenhagen.
This concerns millions of wild animals. Mink fur is popular, among other things, for fur coats. The virus mutated among minks and was transmitted to humans, the head of government said.
Mutation Threatens Vaccine Effectiveness
The State Serum Institute, the official Danish authority for pandemics and infectious diseases, warned that a mutation could affect the effectiveness of future vaccines.
The problem, however, is not limited to Denmark. The virus is also spreading on Swedish and Italian farms. So far, only the Netherlands responded with a ban on mink farming, which had previously been planned for 2024.
Captive minks can also infect wild animals, for example if an infected mink escapes from a farm. Once this virus becomes established in wild animals, it becomes very difficult to eradicate. Intensive farming on fur farms is a systemic animal welfare problem.
The current circumstances show that fur farming is not only cruel and unethical, but also poses a genuine risk to the health of European citizens. For this reason, we call on the European Commission to urge member states to follow the Dutch example: to permanently close all mink farms. Since unfortunately millions of animals would be killed, we call on the EC to ensure that this is done humanely and in accordance with EU legislative requirements.
Reineke Hameleers, CEO of Eurogroup for Animals
Mink belong to the weasel family, along with ferrets, which can easily be infected with the coronavirus. Ferrets appear to experience mild symptoms. Mink, kept under overcrowded conditions — ideal for the spread of a virus — can become quite ill and die. Mink have also been infected in several US states. Thousands of mink were killed in Utah due to a coronavirus outbreak.
Fear of Mutation
A mutated version of the coronavirus Sars-CoV-2 had already been detected in twelve people in northern Jutland, said Frederiksen. At the same time, she warned that the mutation could spread not only to other parts of Denmark, but also to the rest of the world. Mink farmers will be compensated, as Food Minister Mogens Jensen stated.
Denmark is the world's largest producer of mink pelts. The country currently has 1’139 breeding farms and approximately 15 to 17 million mink. According to Danish authorities, coronavirus cases have already been detected on more than 200 farms. On 67 farms, the fur animal population has already been culled. More on this topic Animal rights and Wildlife protection on wildbeimwild.com.
Out of concern over the spread of a coronavirus mutation detected in mink, the Danish government is imposing far-reaching restrictions in the North Jutland region. Public transport will be suspended in seven municipalities, and the nearly 280’000 residents are being strongly urged to remain within their own municipality. Pupils in grades five through eight are to be taught remotely from Monday onwards, as are students at further education institutions, as Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced.
