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A mink with cubs in a cage at the Lesnye Klyuchi fur farm in the village of Pelagiada.
Ruslan Shamukov TASS via Getty Images
Denmark on Monday agreed to a temporary ban on mink farming, leaving little hope of rebuilding the industry, which was a pioneer in the global fur trade.
Fearing an escalation of the coronavirus epidemic in the Nordic country, exacerbated by the discovery of a mutated virus strain, the Danish government ordered the removal of all minks in early November, despite lacking part of the legal basis for doing so.
The lawmakers’ move retroactively creates the legal basis for their order to eliminate all minks in the country in November.
Erik Vammen, probably one of the last farmers in Denmark with mink on his farm, initially defied government requests for a national slaughter, but now has no choice but to slaughter his remaining 5,000 minks virus free.
“I will comply with the law, as I always have,” Vammen told Reuters, adding that he will wait until the last moment to sacrifice his vision.
“I keep my head up.” The 62-year-old farmer said he is likely to resume mink farming when the temporary ban lifts in 2022.
The new law, which bans mink farming before January 15, also outlines some offsets for farmers, but lawmakers have yet to finalize exact measures.
The government order has effectively destroyed Denmark’s mink industry, known for its high-quality mink fur, and most farmers and industry voices say the industry will never recover.
The authorities later admitted that the order to euthanize herds of healthy mink had no legal basis.
The move threw the government into a political storm, as the drop in public confidence coincided with calls for resignation and a vote of no confidence from opposition parties, culminating in the departure of the agriculture minister.
Parliament has also decided to launch an investigation into the government’s handling of the mink crisis, including the actions of Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
