AKURAT.CO, The Danish government admits that its mass extermination of stoats is not legal. The action was ordered after the mutation of the corona virus was found in the animal.
Reporting from the BBC, Denmark is the largest mink fur producer in the world with its main export markets China and Hong Kong. Culling started late last month after many cases of mink were detected.
“Even though we were in a hurry, we should have realized that a new law was needed, but we didn’t. I apologize for that,” Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told parliament on Tuesday (10/11).
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The minister in charge of agriculture, Mogens Jensen, has urged all mink farmers to continue the extermination as a precautionary measure. This was revealed by Tage Pedersen, head of the Danish mink breeders association.
“I still encourage mink farmers to work together because at this time we have to do everything we can for the good of public health,” said Jensen.
A mutation of the coronavirus that can spread to humans was previously found in mink farms. In fact, there are 6 countries that have reported coronavirus outbreaks in mink farms, namely the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, Sweden, Italy and the United States.
Mink is known to be susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, which can spread rapidly from animal to animal in mink farms where thousands of animals are kept close to each other.
These civet-like animals have been contracted by farm workers during pandemics and sometimes transmit the virus back to humans. This condition has the potential to bring about new viral mutations.
Danish scientists fear genetic changes in a form of the mink-related virus that have been found in dozens of people could potentially make future vaccines less effective.
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