The day: Copenhagen bans mink breeding until 2022

Monday, December 21, 2020

The day
Copenhagen bans mink farming until 2022

There were gruesome pictures that went around the world from Denmark in the past few weeks: Almost 17 million minks had to be culled and buried in the Scandinavian country. The government ordered her killing in early November after one mutated on some breeding farms and affected humans transferable form of Sars-CoV-2 had been discovered.

Several million minks have already been killed and buried in Denmark.

(Photo: picture alliance / dpa / NTB / AP)

Now Copenhagen is going one step further in the fight against the coronavirus: Mink breeding will remain banned until January 2022. Breeders who do not adhere to the rule have to kill their animals, according to a law passed by parliament.

Many of the almost 17 million cadavers were buried in military facilities near Holstebro and Karup in western Denmark. The problem: The decomposition process could release large amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen in the soil, which in the worst case could contaminate drinking water and bathing water. Four million of the dead minks should therefore be returned next year dug up and burned will.