Outbreaks on mink farms have persisted in the Nordic country, the world’s largest producer of mink fur, so Denmark has ordered the slaughter of the country’s entire mink herd (between 15 and 17 million) following the emergence of a mutation of covid among animals that could be transmitted to humans and, according to the national medical institute, put the vaccine at risk.
The economic blow is colossal . Denmark is one of the world’s leading mink fur exporters, producing approximately 17 million fur per year. Kopenhagen Fur, a cooperative of 1,500 Danish breeders, accounts for 40% of the world’s mink production. Most of its exports go to China and Hong Kong.
Other countries
According to the Danish Food and Veterinary Administration, 1,137 mink herds have been registered in Denmark , where there are approximately 12 million mink.
The mutation "could represent a risk that future vaccines (against COVID-19) will not work as intended," Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said . "All the minks have to be euthanized," he added.
It will not be possible for mink farmers to have individual animals so that the breeding can continue again at a later date.
67 mink farms have already killed their herds, and the slaughter is carried out in collaboration with the police, the Armed Forces, the Danish Emergency Management Agency and the National Guard.
In the Netherlands they have also decreed to accelerate the closure of farms next year because they have continuous outbreaks on farms.
Spain
In Spain, the Covid-19 outbreaks have affected one of the largest hatcheries, located in La Puebla de Valverde , Teruel, which has been forced to sacrifice its entire herd, 92,700 minks, after verifying that 87% had been infected. Animal Health Technicians of the Government of Aragon confirmed a massive community contagion by SARS-CoV-2 in the animals after analyzing several dozen of them.