Runstadler, who studies emerging diseases in animals, said the outbreak in minks hasn’t surprised many in his field, in part because of the conditions in which they live. Animal Protection Denmark, an advocacy group, recommended a long-term solution to the problem of mink and coronavirus: “The right decision would be to end mink farming … “The other area to be concerned about is having this virus spill into an animal host that becomes a regional or local reservoir for viral infections,” Runstadler said. In northern Wisconsin, two farms in Taylor County are currently under quarantine after recent outbreaks killed 5,500 minks. [4], Left: A typical mink farm layout in 1908. Mink farming in numbers Farmed mink is the single most important fur type produced in North America today, in terms of the number of pelts produced and the value of the fur. “Big picture, it’s not probably a big deal because few people have contact with minks.”. Denmark is the world's biggest producer of mink fur and its main export markets are China and Hong Kong. Mink at a farm in Denmark were found to be infected with the new coronavirus and all 11,000 of the animals there will have to be culled, Danish authorities said on Wednesday. Additionally, mink farming has been banned in Denmark until 31 December 2021, including import and export of live mink. [15], On 20 December 2020, the Danish Parliament passed a draft bill to ban mink farming until 2022. Now it is about to embark on a massive cull of around 17 million mink … Even at peak, the Irish and Greek mink industries were never even a fraction the size of the now largely liquidated mink industry in Denmark, which before the COVID-19 pandemic produced about 40% of the mink pelts sold worldwide. Mink breeder Thorbjoern Jepsen holds up a mink, as police forcibly gained access to his mink farm in Gjoel, Denmark, on Oct. 9, 2020. Concerted efforts of Kopenhagen Fur and Danish Animal Welfare Society (Dyrenes Beskyttelse), have optimized the environmental conditions for mink farming by developing rules, which received approval by the Ministry of Justice in 2007. Spain, Sweden, Italy, and the US have all been affected, as has the Netherlands, where mink farming will be outlawed by spring next year. The animals can’t move on or off the farm, said Kevin Hoffman, the public information officer for Wisconsin’s Division of Animal Health. Aan employee removing dead mink from a chamber after they were gassed on a farm near Naestved, Denmark on Nov. 6, 2020. But Denmark’s decision was not without detractors. Mink breeder Thorbjoern Jepsen holds up a mink, as police forcibly gained access to his mink farm in Gjoel, Denmark, on Oct. 9, 2020. “We should be identifying the interfaces where humans and animals are in close and frequent enough contact that virus spillover is possible, and doing surveillance.”. Buried in shallow pits and trenches in Western Denmark, the dead minks were pushed out of the ground by gas emitted from their decomposing bodies, leading to more outrage and concern. UK hospitals to isolate suspected 'mink Covid' patients amid mutant virus fears AFP - December 21, 2020 11:51 PM. [21] Fashion house Birger Christensen, purveyor to the Danish royal family, is "the finest furrier in Copenhagen" and sells only Saga Royal grade fur. [19] Using information technology, management, control, breeding and analysis can monitor genetic progress of the mink herd.[17]. [14] A deal was later reached to retroactively make the government's order legal. All 12 cases were identified in September 2020 in North Jutland, Denmark. By Eli Cahan Aug. 18, 2020 , 10:55 AM. Denmark, the world's largest mink fur producer, is to mass cull some 16 -17 million minks after mutated forms of coronavirus spread to humans. If farms with outbreaks were isolated, it’s not known whether the virus would circulate through all the minks and eventually die out. [11] Though the country has some of the largest mink farms in the world, it also has many small business mink farms run by families. Now the country plans to dig up the dead animals after they started to rise out of their shallow graves. [17] Danish fur farms produce about 15.6 million minks annually. RELATED: Fraser Valley mink farm quarantined because of COVID-19 outbreak; Canada’s mink breeders increasing security to protect animals and industry from COVID Circa 2012, the average price per mink skin was 582 Danish crowns (US$100), then the highest price ever recorded at Kopenhagen Fur. … The country's prime minister later apologized and its food and agriculture minister stepped down when the order to kill the animals was declared illegal. This has an annual export value of EUR 1,1 billion. [11], In November 2020, a mutated strain of COVID-19 was found in the animals necessitating the government to cull seventeen million mink because of a fear that they could be the catalyst for restarting the international pandemic. Mink are seen at the farm of Henrik Nordgaard Hansen and Ann-Mona Kulsoe Larsen near Naestved, Denmark on Nov. 6, 2020. “We want to keep this a human virus,” Weese said. “Transmission back to people is more a concern at a personal level,” Weese said. It’s why both Weese and Runstadler say more studying needs to be done to understand Covid-19 in minks. (Henning Bagger /Ritzau Scanpix via AP) Nesting boxes are attached inside the cage. As a result of Covid-19-related culls of mink in Denmark and the Netherlands, China could take over as the world’s top mink … The government recommends mink farmers continue with the cull, but they are not required to do so until legislation that will be put forward soon is passed. COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- The Danish government said Tuesday it wants to ban mink farming until the end of 2021, as it presented a law proposal that … Denmark's government wants to dig up some of the culled minks from the mass graves. Mink carcasses are disposed of at a farm in Farre in the southern part of Jutland, Denmark Read More Related Articles. Denmark culled 17 million minks in November in response to Covid-19 outbreaks at more than 200 mink farms. His department is helping the farms compost the mink bodies, and there are currently no conversations in the state about mass culling. By. Using … It’s a very good match.”. After undercover footage from the largest farm in Poland was released to the public, Poland is in the process of banning fur farming. IE 11 is not supported. Economic support packages have … Denmark has reported 214 human cases linked to mink farms, of which 12 are thought to be of cluster 5. A mutated form of the coronavirus has been found on around 200 of the country's mink farms, which total over 1,100 in number. The minks are farmed for their fur, which is then used for various purposes, including coats, clothing and … Mink give birth to their litter of generally five offspring in the nesting boxes; they also feed the litter in the nesting boxes. Each auction typically sells some 260 million euro worth of fur and lasts five days. But we do know a few things that are raising eyebrows. Fur farming is the practice of breeding or raising certain types of animals for their fur.. Denmark’s prime minister broke down in tears Thursday while visiting a mink farmer whose herd was killed on government orders meant to curb … Those conditions might be ideal for shoving the small mammals into metal machines that skin them for fancy coats and hats, but they also can be breeding grounds for the coronavirus. 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