Did Mette Frederiksen know that culling 17 million mink last year was illegal? That is the question of a parliamentary inquiry committee in Denmark. Today, the Social Democratic Prime Minister is being heard by the committee on a case in which developments continue to pile up.
Should Danish cinema ever be short of inspiration, the mink scandal seems to lend itself perfectly to a film script. After a corona mutation was found on a mink farm last year, panic set in. Twelve people were found to be infected with the mutation. Experts warned: such infections may have consequences for the effectiveness of vaccines. To prevent further spread, Denmark, the world’s largest producer of mink fur, had the entire mink population culled.
Zombienertsen
A horror scenario unfolded: 17 million minks were put in mass graves, but were not buried deep enough. Gas during the decomposition process of the carcasses caused the carcasses to come above ground. Internationally and nationally there was talk of “zombie ores”. The animals were dug up and this time burned.
The political bill turned out to be huge. There was no legal basis for the culling. Not only millions of minks, but also an industry in which Denmark was world leader was killed, opposition parties fulminated. The Minister of Agriculture resigned, while Frederiksen offered her apologies in tears at a breeding farm.
A year ago, the consequences for this mink farm in Denmark were significant, correspondent Rolien Créton noted:
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