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BEFORE TODAY, it was announced that all Irish farmed minks will be culled over the next few weeks.
This is a precautionary measure after a variant of the coronavirus was discovered in Danish mink farms.
Denmark, a large exporter of mink fur, ordered the removal of all minks on November 4, fearing the mutated virus could threaten the effectiveness of any future Covid-19 vaccines for humans.
Yesterday, Denmark’s agriculture minister, Mogens Jensen, resigned following criticism of his handling of the slaughter of the country’s 15 to 17 million minks. He said last week that this order had no legal basis.
In Ireland, it is understood that the medical director, Dr. Tony Holohan, wrote to the agriculture minister, Charlie McConalogue, to recommend the slaughter.
Mink owners will be compensated in the short term, but they will not be able to replace the animals, it is understood. Homeowners will receive a more comprehensive compensation package in the future.
Let’s look at the future of fur farming in Ireland and the government’s plans to end the practice eventually.
How many mink farms are there in Ireland?
There are currently three mink farms in Ireland located in Donegal, Laois and Kerry.
Between them, the farms raise and kill about 110,000 minks a year, according to the Department of Agriculture.
What will happen to the minks now?
The Department of Agriculture said today that it is working with public health authorities and Irish mink farm operators to address potential coronavirus risks.
The herd of minks in Ireland have been tested for the coronavirus, but no positive results have been recorded so far.
No mink farm workers or their families have tested positive for Covid-19 either.
The department added that the Department of Health said the continued practice of mink farming “represents a continuing risk of additional variants of SARS-CoV-2 adapted to mink emerging.”
As a result, he recommended that all farm minks be culled.
The department said it is collaborating with mink producers to “consider next steps.”
Are there other fur farms in Ireland?
No, the three working mink farms are the only fur farms left in Ireland. The number of fur farms fell from four to three in 2014, according to the Department of Agriculture last year.
In 2011, a review group was created to examine fur farming in Ireland and did not recommend a ban on the industry.
The department implemented tighter controls on fur farms in areas such as animal welfare and inspections in 2012 after the group published its report.
Other animals that are farmed for fur abroad include chinchillas, foxes, and rabbits.
What has the government said it will do with fur farming?
The previous government cabinet agreed in June 2019 to phase out fur farming in Ireland.
The Government Program highlights that the current government will “immediately prioritize” the drafting of legislation to phase out animal husbandry. He said legislation in this area will be published “as soon as possible.”
The 2018 fur farming ban bill was introduced by TDs Ruth Coppinger, Paul Murphy and Mick Barry. It reached the first stage in the Dáil but expired with the dissolution of the previous government earlier this year.
The current government has yet to introduce a new bill, but Minister Charlie McConalogue said Tuesday that his department will begin preparing a bill “in due course.”
He said the bill “will provide for the gradual introduction of a fur cultivation ban that will include a mink cultivation ban.”
McConalogue responded in writing to TD Mick Barry on this issue at the Dáil.
“The bill will make it illegal for new fur farms to be established and will put in place disposal agreements for the small number of current operators,” McConalogue wrote.
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Animal testing at the three mink farms in Ireland started earlier this month, but as of today all results received were negative.
Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice has called for the wild mink to be included in the sacrifice. There are up to 33,500 wild minks in Ireland, according to a 2009 government review.
“If a cull is to be made on all three mink farms in Ireland, then we must seize the opportunity to eradicate the mink in the wild,” Fitzmaurice said in a statement.
The wild mink in Ireland became established after escaping or being released from farms decades ago. They are a scourge in the countryside, especially when it comes to native lambs and birds.
What is the situation in other countries, like Denmark?
Fur farming is banned in many European countries such as Belgium and Croatia. Fur farming has also been banned in the UK (including Northern Ireland) since the early 2000s.
Mink farming is a huge industry in Denmark, with three times more minks in the country than people.
Denmark sells around € 670 million in mink fur annually and is the world’s second largest producer behind China.
Despite fears about the mink-associated coronavirus strain, the Danish Ministry of Health said today that the mutated version has likely been eradicated.
The ministry said in a statement that there have been no new cases of the ‘cluster 5’ mink mutation since September 15, leading the Danish infectious diseases authority to conclude that it has been eradicated.
Scientists have said that it is not unusual for viruses to mutate and that the process rarely poses an additional threat.
But the strain known as ‘group 5’ could be less susceptible to human antibodies, initial Danish studies showed.
“If these new variants of SARS-CoV-2, with less susceptibility to neutralizing antibodies, are spread widely in the population, it could potentially affect the overall level of effectiveness of the vaccine,” said the European Center for Prevention and Control. of Diseases (ECDC).
But the agency noted that there is “high uncertainty” about the actual level of danger and “more research is required on the nature of these mutations.”
Cluster 5 is one of five coronavirus mutations detected among minks, but the others are not considered problematic.
With AFP report
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