In order to avoid soil pollution, the Danish government has decided to remove from the earth the millions of mink killed and buried following the discovery of a mutation of the virus, which could contaminate humans.
A risk of environmental pollution
It was after identifying a mutation of the coronavirus in a farm in Denmark, potentially transmissible to humans, that millions of mink were slaughtered. They were then buried on military land near Holstebro and Karup in the Kingdom of Denmark. However, this decision has been criticized, due to the urgency of the slaughter and burying of these animals in mass graves dug in the rush and the risk of contamination of the soil, groundwater and surrounding lakes. This led the Minister of Agriculture, Mogens Jensen, to resign from his post. This is why, in a press release dated December 20, the government decided to recognize that these catacombs are dangerous for the environment. After a majority agreement, the Parliament took the decision to dig up the mink within five to six months, once the risk of contagion will be completely ruled out. The mink corpses will then be incinerated, like ordinary waste. According to the ministry, “This prevents mink from being treated as hazardous biological waste, a solution that has never been used.”
Towards a ban on the breeding of these small mammals?
Danish political leaders, however, spoke of the non-urgent nature of the situation, which allows them to wait before recovering the remains. Until that day arrives, the ministry says that “the environmental authority is monitoring the situation closely.” Denmark is the world’s largest exporter of mink skin and was forced to kill more than 15 million in early November. These animals carried a mutation of the virus, transmitted to 12 people. As epidemiologist Kåre Mølbak explained, “Continuing to breed mink would involve a much higher risk to public health, both in Denmark and abroad.” This version of the coronavirus could have compromised the effectiveness of the vaccine against Covid-19. To date, mink is the only animal identified that can contract Covid-19 disease and that can infect humans. As a result, a bill bans mink farming in Denmark until 2022.
