Denmark Bans Mink Breeding Until 2022

Earlier this year, Denmark discovered a mutated coronavirus in mink and decided to cull all the animals it had on its farms to stop the disease spreading as it could potentially undermine the efficacy of the vaccines.

Denmark passed a law on Monday to ban mink breeding until 2022.

According to Reuters, retroactively this ban will create a legal basis for the country's order to cull all mink last month amid fears of worsening the coronavirus outbreak.

This comes after a political majority was reached in Denmark earlier in the day to dig up and destroy about 4 million dead mink buried in Karup and Holstebro after some carcasses resurfaced.

This will be done in six months' time to avoid further infection, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries said. The excavation of mink will begin in late May, and they will be disposed of until mid-July, the ministry's press release said.

In November, Denmark gassed more than 15 million mink within several weeks after a mutated version of SARS-CoV-2 was discovered at the farms. This move resulted in the eradication of an entire industry in Denmark that used to be a world leader in mink fur production.