[8] By the mid-1980s, Denmark was the second largest mink producer, behind the United States. Denmark is the world's biggest producer of mink fur and its main export markets are China and Hong Kong. Around the world, minks are getting sick. Most of its exports go to China and Hong Kong. Since the mass slaughter, hundreds of mink carcasses have emerged from their graves. “That would lead one to think that the virus has retained the capability of replication and infection in other animal hosts as well.”. [16], Climatic conditions in Denmark, where the winter is mild and the summer is cool, are considered ideal for husbanding animals with fur cover. Fur farming is the practice of breeding or raising certain types of animals for their fur.. The mutations in Danish mink, ... Before the pandemic, the Netherlands was already in the process of stopping intensive mink farming. Fur farming is the practice of breeding or raising certain types of animals for their fur. If farms with outbreaks were isolated, it’s not known whether the virus would circulate through all the minks and eventually die out. Mink give birth to their litter of generally five offspring in the nesting boxes; they also feed the litter in the nesting boxes. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. UK hospitals to isolate suspected 'mink Covid' patients amid mutant virus fears Denmark is one of the world's main mink fur exporters - producing millions of furs per year. Thousands of killed mink being buried at the Jydske Dragonregiment's training ground at Noerre Felding near Holstebro in Denmark, after Denmark, the world's biggest producer of mink fur, had announced it would cull all of the country's minks after a mutated version of the new coronavirus was detected at its mink farms and had spread to people, on Nov. 12, 2020. By 25 November, mink on all 289 affected mink farms, and farms within an assigned zone, were culled. Denmark culled 17 million minks in November in response to Covid-19 outbreaks at more than 200 mink farms. We know Covid-19 came from an animal host, and spilled into humans recently, said Jonathan Runstadler, professor in the department of infectious disease and global health at the Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. Mink are seen at the farm of Henrik Nordgaard Hansen and Ann-Mona Kulsoe Larsen near Naestved, Denmark on Nov. 6, 2020. mink farms in the U.S. are seeing Covid-19, Covid mink farm outbreaks brew controversy in the scientific community, tearing up as she called it a “regrettable mistake”. Mink give birth to their litter of generally five offspring in the nesting boxes; they also feed the litter in the nesting boxes. Denmark was forced to launch a wholesale cull of the countryâs entire population of farmed mink due to a massive coronavirus outbreak among the animals. [3][4], In November 2020, a mutated strain of COVID-19 known as "cluster 5" was detected among minks, leading the Danish Government to order the culling of 17 million minks in order to prevent a resurgence in COVID-19 cases. [20] Major export markets for Danish mink are China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Korea. 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. Still, “we’re definitely concerned,” Hoffman said, adding farmers are recommended to interact with mink the way they would humans during a pandemic: wearing proper PPE and keeping their distance. Outbreaks have been reported in ⦠“I worry we are not doing enough to monitor that situation to make sure this virus isn’t spilling into the animal populations,” Runstadler said. When outbreaks occur at farms, local health departments are mandating quarantines. Kopenhagen Fur, a cooperative of 1,500 Danish breeders, accounts for 40% of the global mink production. “When it gets cold, people need fur.”. [1][2] Ranked third in Denmark's agricultural export items of animal origin, fur and mink skins have a yearly export value of about EUR 0,5 billion. At fur farms, minks are densely packed in conditions ripe for close contact with one another. An excavator dumps dead mink into a ditch earlier this month. Denmark bans mink farming for a year after coronavirus cull. The Danish government said Tuesday it wants to ban mink farming until the end of 2021, as it presented a law proposal that would allow for the culling of 15 million minks as announced last week. [4], Left: A typical mink farm layout in 1908. The small, ferret-like mammals farmed for their valuable fur have raised alarm after contracting and mutating the coronavirus, passing it back to humans. It’s why both Weese and Runstadler say more studying needs to be done to understand Covid-19 in minks. Nesting boxes are attached inside the cage. Hoffman said the outbreaks are under control. Danish research played a vital role in the creation of a new set of European rules to protect fur animals launched in 1999. Auctions are held five times in a year, with the first held in December after the newly pelted skins are ready, and the last in September. Runstadler said it’s hard to know if minks are unique among other species in their ability to contract and spread the virus, or if they’re just in a situation that leads to such outbreaks. The Danish government said Tuesday it wants to ban mink farming until the end of 2021, as it presented a law proposal that would allow for the culling of 15 million minks as announced last week. Denmark is the world's biggest producer of mink fur, with a turnover of some 1.1 billion euros a year. 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. Similarly, in response to the coronavirus outbreaks in mink farms, the Netherlands is moving up its mink fur farming ban from 2024 to 2021. Demand is there, and need for the product is there. If Russia doesn’t, China will. “With furs, if it’s not made one place, it’s made some place else. FILE - In this Dec. 6, 2012, file photo, minks look out of a cage at a fur farm in the village of Litusovo, northeast of Minsk, Belarus. Denmark's government wants to dig up some of the culled minks from the mass graves. Climatic conditions in Denmark, where the winter is mild and the summer is cool, are considered ideal for husbanding animals with fur cover. The decision to cull the minks was a drastic one. Denmark has been a leader in breeding and veterinary science for mink for decades now, being the producer of 17 million pelts a year, out of 50 million sold globally. Under UK law, minks, as well as foxes and moles, are protected under ⦠Denmark went so far as to cull 17 million minks in November in response to outbreaks at more than 200 mink farms. 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. In the United States as of 2020, there are some 120 mink farms producing 2 million pelts a year, with a farm-gate value of US$80 million. Each auction typically sells some 260 million euro worth of fur and lasts five days. Four were found in the local community, rather than ⦠... negotiated and the government is introducing legislation effectively banning mink farming ⦠Denmark needs to follow their lead and put an end to fur farming! “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.”. “This virus attaches well to mink. After news of mink farm outbreaks in Denmark broke in the fall, B.C. Danish mink farming has played a leading role in promoting animal welfare, and this included the first guidelines for fur animal research in 1985 at a time when no welfare rules existed for any other type of livestock farming. “We want to keep this a human virus,” Weese said. Mink fur of Denmark is exclusively auctioned through Kopenhagen Fur. [3] Mink produced in Denmark is considered to be the finest in the world and is ranked by grade, with the best being Saga Royal, followed by Saga, Quality 1, and Quality 2. In the coming week all will be put down," Danish mink farmer Martin From told the BBC in November. [17] Danish fur farms produce about 15.6 million minks annually. IE 11 is not supported. The Danish government said Tuesday it wants to ban mink farming until the end of 2021, as it presented a law proposal that would allow for ⦠Denmark's mink farmers are mourning what they say is the death of their industry after a government order to cull all of their stocks over a mutated variant of the new coronavirus. If Copenhagen doesn’t farm the skins, Russia will. [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. Minks that catch Covid-19 are sometimes spreading a mutated form of the virus back to humans. Mads Claus Rasmussen / AFP - Getty Images file. [12], It was revealed in late November that the Minister for Agriculture, Mogens Jensen, and five other ministers had been made aware in September that the culling of the entire country's mink population, rather than just those in the infected areas, would be illegal. [10] Fur trade has been declared as one of the twenty nine "special competence clusters in Danish economic life" by the Ministry of Commerce in Denmark. RELATED: Fraser Valley mink farm quarantined because of COVID-19 outbreak; Canadaâs mink breeders increasing security to protect animals and industry from COVID But Denmark’s decision was not without detractors. Plus, people don’t have the close attachment to minks they might dogs. Nesting boxes are attached inside the cage. “We have viruses that are just human viruses or dog viruses or cat viruses,” he explained. AFP - December 21, 2020 11:51 PM. Like every other fur farmer in Denmark, he has 10 days to kill his mink. In the December 2012 auction, there were 500 bidders with 85 percent of the pelts purchased by customers from China. Opponents say the eradication of all healthy mink was a breach of the Danish constitution. As a result of Covid-19-related culls of mink in Denmark and the Netherlands, China could take over as the worldâs top mink ⦠Animal Protection Denmark, an advocacy group, recommended a long-term solution to the problem of mink and coronavirus: âThe right decision would be to end mink farming ⦠Spain, Sweden, Italy, and the US have all been affected, as has the Netherlands, where mink farming will be outlawed by spring next year. After undercover footage from the largest farm in Poland was released to the public, Poland is in the process of banning fur farming. For animal rights groups, the debacle illustrates why fur farming should be eliminated. What is known, though, Ontario Veterinary College professor Scott Weese said, is that viruses don’t automatically work their way into cells. (Henning Bagger /Ritzau Scanpix via AP) “Water rises all,” he said. The Danish government spared no mink, killing infected and healthy animals, alike. “Big picture, it’s not probably a big deal because few people have contact with minks.”. It also attaches pretty well to cats, but not as well to dogs and cows, he said. All 12 cases were identified in September 2020 in North Jutland, Denmark. Iâm not even sure itâs dawned on me how grave the consequences will be for us. Still, we don’t know much about how it works in minks or other animals, in part because scientists have been busy trying to figure out how Covid-19 affects humans. More than 50 million mink a year are bred for their fur, mainly in China, Denmark, the Netherlands and Poland. Denmark, the world's largest mink fur exporter, produces an estimated 17 million furs per year. Right: Mink breeder with a young pearl mink, "FACTS: Denmark is the world's largest producer of mink fur", "Denmark says it will cull 17 million mink after discovering a mutated strain of COVID-19 that officials fear could 'restart' the entire global pandemic", "Ny corona-mutation er en kæp i hjulet pÃ¥ vaccinen: Det ved vi om 'cluster 5, "Methods for the identification of farm escapees in feral mink (, "The culling of minks in Denmark prompts a political crisis", "Danish Agriculture Minister Resigns Amid Criticism For Ordering Mink Cull", "Danish farm minister quits over mink scandal", "Danish lawmakers ban mink farming until 2022 amid coronavirus outbreak | DW | 21.12.2020", "Danish mink industry toasts a Chinese chill", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mink_industry_in_Denmark&oldid=995573244, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 21 December 2020, at 20:01. Denmark will cull about 17 million mink after a mutated form of coronavirus that can spread to humans was found on mink farms. Things happen.” he said. Fish waste from the fishing industryis used as feed at mink farms. 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 ⦠Kopenhagen Fur, located in Copenhagen, is the world's largest fur auction house; annually, it sells approximately 14 million Danish mink skins produced by 2,000 Danish fur farmers, and 7 million mink skins produced in other countries. Additionally, mink farming has been banned in Denmark until 31 December 2021, including import and export of live mink. There are 5,000 fur farms in the EU, all located across 22 countries; these areas of production collectively account for 50% of the global production of farmed fur. They need to stick onto something. 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