Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen may face impeachment over culling of 15 million minks. Denmark culled its entire mink population in 2020 over Wuhan virus-related worries. The move was illegal. Palki Sharma brings you a report.

Gravitas: Denmark Mink culling: PM Mette Frederiksen may face impeachment

As mass inoculation against COVID-19 begins in the West, grim news about the virus keeps coming in. Just today, the US surpassed 300,000 deaths - becoming the single largest cause of deaths across the country. In the UK, a mutation has been identified.

But now, the wild has been infiltrated as well. The first known case of COVID-19 among wild minks was reported in the US, triggering calls for monitoring wildlife for the spread of coronavirus.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/wion-wideangle-mink-coronavirus-another-deadly-outbreak-343206/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

US veterinary officials, in communication with the International Society for Infectious Diseases said that a wild mink from a farm in Utah had tested positive for the virus. 
 
Earlier, cases were reported among farmed minks at fur farms across Europe and the US, which has led to millions of them being culled to limit infection.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/mass-graves-for-mink-in-denmark-may-have-already-polluted-groundwater-report-348874" hreflang="en">Mass graves for mink in Denmark may have already polluted groundwater: Report</a> 
 
However, this is the first reported case among wild mink, or among a “free-ranging wild mink”, raising fears of the zoonotic virus spreading among wild animals.

Even though the infection has been spotted in the wild, there is still no evidence to suggest that it may be passed on from mink to mink outside farms.

In fact, the strain of COVID-19 detected in the wild mink was identical to the strain which were discovered in a mink on a farm close to the wild mink’s location. Even then, no other minks have tested positive for the virus, and surveillance efforts on the ground have been heavily intensified.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/back-from-dead-zombie-minks-rise-from-graves-to-exact-revenge-after-being-culled-345356" hreflang="en">Back from dead? Zombie minks rise from graves to 'exact revenge' after being culled</a>

According to experts, this implies that humans need to undertake more rigorous surveillance of wildlife and animals to limit the scope of another outbreak, especially as vaccine hopes continue to dampen people’s fears.

It is common for a mink to leave a farm and to live off in the wild on their own. Even then, it could prove be a hazard both to humans and animals if the virus spreads in the wild.

As mass inoculation against COVID-19 begins in the West, grim news about the virus keeps coming in. Just today, the US surpassed 300,000 deaths - becoming the single largest cause of deaths across the country.

As mass inoculation against COVID-19 begins in the West, grim news about the virus keeps coming in. Just today, the US surpassed 300,000 deaths - becoming the single largest cause of deaths across the country. In the UK, a mutation has been identified. But now, the wild has been infiltrated as well. The first known case of COVID-19 among wild minks was reported in the US, triggering calls for monitoring wildlife for the spread of coronavirus. US veterinary officials, in communication with the International Society for Infectious Diseases said that a wild mink from a farm in Utah had tested positive for the virus. Earlier, cases were reported among farmed minks at fur farms across Europe and the US, which has led to millions of them being culled to limit infection. Also read: Mass graves for mink in Denmark may have already polluted groundwater: Report However, this is the first reported case among wild mink, or among a “free-ranging wild mink”, raising fears of the zoonotic virus spreading among wild animals. Even though the infection has been spotted in the wild, there is still no evidence to suggest that it may be passed on from mink to mink outside farms. In fact, the strain of COVID-19 detected in the wild mink was identical to the strain which were discovered in a mink on a farm close to the wild mink’s location. Even then, no other minks have tested positive for the virus, and surveillance efforts on the ground have been heavily intensified. Also read: Back from dead? Zombie minks rise from graves to 'exact revenge' after being culled According to experts, this implies that humans need to undertake more rigorous surveillance of wildlife and animals to limit the scope of another outbreak, especially as vaccine hopes continue to dampen people’s fears. It is common for a mink to leave a farm and to live off in the wild on their own. Even then, it could prove be a hazard both to humans and animals if the virus spreads in the wild.

First case of coronavirus among wild mink reported in US

Last week, Denmark decided to cull all its mink. Up to 17 million mink are being culled because of the spread of the Wuhan Virus. WION's Palki Sharma tells you more.

Gravitas: Covid scare: Denmark shaken by mink culling

Danish PM apologizes after mass culling of minks. The country export over 17 million minks after they found that animal had a Coronavirus spread. WION brings you a report.

Denmark: Prime Minister has apologized for the recent ''mass mink culling"

Denmark, the world's biggest producer of mink fur, said Wednesday it would cull all of the country's minks after a mutated version of the new coronavirus was detected at its mink farms and had spread to people.

The mutation "could pose a risk that future (coronavirus) vaccines won't work the way they should," Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told a press conference, adding: "It is necessary to cull all the minks."

Outbreaks at mink farms have persisted in the Nordic country, the world's largest producer of mink skins, despite repeated efforts to cull infected herds since June.

Health authorities found virus strains in humans and in mink which showed decreased sensitivity against antibodies, potentially lowering the efficacy of future vaccines, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said at a press conference.

Minks have also been culled in the Netherlands and Spain after finding infections.

Denmark's health minister said around half of 783 infected Danes in Northern Denmark, home to a large number of mink farms, had been infected with a virus strain stemming from the farms.

Authorities had registered five cases of the new strain on mink farms and 12 cases in humans.

The mink herd in Denmark totals between 15 million and 17 million, authorities said.

Denmark, the world's biggest producer of mink fur, said Wednesday it would cull all of the country's minks after a mutated version of the new coronavirus was detected at its mink farms and had spread to people.

Denmark, the world's biggest producer of mink fur, said Wednesday it would cull all of the country's minks after a mutated version of the new coronavirus was detected at its mink farms and had spread to people. The mutation "could pose a risk that future (coronavirus) vaccines won't work the way they should," Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told a press conference, adding: "It is necessary to cull all the minks." Outbreaks at mink farms have persisted in the Nordic country, the world's largest producer of mink skins, despite repeated efforts to cull infected herds since June. Health authorities found virus strains in humans and in mink which showed decreased sensitivity against antibodies, potentially lowering the efficacy of future vaccines, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said at a press conference. Minks have also been culled in the Netherlands and Spain after finding infections. Denmark's health minister said around half of 783 infected Danes in Northern Denmark, home to a large number of mink farms, had been infected with a virus strain stemming from the farms. Authorities had registered five cases of the new strain on mink farms and 12 cases in humans. The mink herd in Denmark totals between 15 million and 17 million, authorities said.

Denmark to cull millions of minks amid mutation fears for coronavirus vaccine

KASZEWSKA WOLA, Poland — When the European Union condemned Poland’s government for demonizing gays and lesbians, the country’s governing coalition defiantly stood together. When state media was accused of spreading hate speech that fueled violence, the governing parties brushed off concerns. And when protests erupted against efforts to control the judicial system, they pressed ahead regardless.

Then came the minks.

Proposed legislation that would ban the farming of minks, semiaquatic mammals prized for their fur, and put in place a range of protections for other animals, opened deep divisions in the coalition that almost brought down the government.

It took the intervention of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the head of the dominant Law and Justice Party, to quell the uprising for now by taking on a formal role that allowed him to act as a buffer between opposing factions.

The bill, which gained momentum after a documentary aired on Polish television showing minks living in deplorable conditions on one farm, has widespread public support and the leaders of the country’s foremost opposition party support the legislation.

But the conservative governing coalition is divided over the issue, waging increasingly furious internal battles at a time when the nation is consumed with the coronavirus. All that has raised questions about the long-term viability of the government.

In the face of those concerns, Kaczynski, the most powerful politician in Poland and the architect of the government’s agenda, stepped in Tuesday to be sworn in as deputy prime minister after five years of ruling from behind the scenes.

Apart from separating feuding coalition partners, one of his main tasks will be trying to grow public support for the Law and Justice Party, whose candidate for president, Andrzej Duda, only managed a narrow election victory in July.

It will be a difficult challenge since Kaczynski has been the driving force behind efforts by his party to marginalize the LGBT community, a campaign that has turned off many young voters. And his government has spent years at war with the European Union, despite broad support in Poland for membership in the bloc, especially among the generation born after the end of communist rule in 1989.

The government also has a dismal record on environmental issues — from logging in the country’s ancient forests to failing to curb a reliance on coal.

But in championing animal rights, Kaczynski sees an opportunity.

“This is a pivotal moment for the party,” said Wojciech Przybylski, the editor-in-chief of Visegrad Insight, a policy journal focused on Central Europe. Kaczynski, he said, knows he needs to expand his political base to include younger, more moderate voters by sending “a message of concern about nature and animals.”

The issue also seems personal for Kaczynski, who has long been known for his affection for animals. When his beloved cat, Alik, died, it was national news. The 71-year-old, who shuns nearly all requests for interviews outside of supportive media outlets, even went on TikTok to post a video promoting the #StopFurChallenge.

Since coming to power in 2015, Kaczynski has rarely been challenged. But observers say the division within the coalition over the law reflects a much more profound split between factions that want to take control over the country’s conservative movement.

While Kaczynski’s Law and Justice Party has long been the dominant force in the United Right coalition, it depends on the support of two junior conservative partners to stay in power: the Agreement and United Poland parties.

United Poland is led by the country’s powerful justice minister, Zbigniew Ziobro, who has made no secret of his desire to become the leader of the country’s conservative movement. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki sees himself as the heir apparent. Kaczynski’s emergence as deputy prime minister was partly aimed at keeping the two men apart.

Morawiecki quickly aligned himself with Kaczynski on the animal issue, posting his own video on TikTok supporting a ban on fur. Ziobro opposes the legislation and, until Kaczynski’s intervention, his party was threatening to withdraw from the coalition over it, a move that would have erased the government’s parliamentary majority.

Ziobro’s opposition to the ban on mink farming reflects the industry’s deep roots in Poland. The country is home to the largest mink farms left in Europe and the third largest in the world. The bill, which is still being debated, calls for the fur farms to be closed in a year.

The law would also end the use of wild animals in circuses, restrict the tethering of dogs on chains — a common practice in the countryside — and restrict the ritual slaughter of animals for meat.

The bill has been loudly condemned by politicians from the far right, which has made greater inroads into politics during the five years of rule by the Law and Justice Party.

Kaczynski has often used more extreme factions to push certain messages, and build his party’s power base. The far right was critical in directing public outrage at migrants, helping the Law and Justice Party rise to power in 2015. More recently, as the party cast “LGBT ideology” as a threat to the nation, ultraconservatives have been driving the messaging.

Now Kaczynski risks losing some of that support.

Rev. Tadeusz Rydzyk, a conservative cleric who has strong connections to Law and Order and controls a vast media empire, used his Radio Maryja station to attack the legislation.

“They feel pity now over these little furs,” Rydzyk said recently, adding that the government should be focused on things like further limiting abortion rights. “Let’s not animalize man and humanize animals.”

The bill is also opposed by the meat industry, which says its export business to markets with halal and kosher requirements would be badly hit.

acek Zarzycki, president of the Polish Association of Beef Cattle Breeders and Producers, said that if the bill were passed, his members could lose 30% of their income.

“We cannot afford that; we will lose the best export markets for Polish beef, which is the export star of Polish agriculture,” he told TVN24.

But it is the minks that have drawn the most attention. And it has turned Szczepan Wojcik, who along with his four brothers controls the vast majority of the mink farms in the country, into a national figure.

“I’m the most attacked person in Poland,” he said in an interview at one of his farms some 60 miles outside of Warsaw.

He sees the attacks as part of a broader cultural war in Poland.

“The people who started the debate in Poland about animal rights, banning the use of animals by man, for example, for furs, are exactly the same people who promote LGBT, same-sex marriage, abortion, euthanasia and so on,” he said.

While he has supported Law and Justice in the past, he said his thinking was now more in line with the more conservative groups led by Ziobro and Rydzyk.

Recent polls indicate overwhelming support for the ban, however.

Much of that is a result of the documentary co-produced by the animal rights organization Open Cages, showing gruesome footage of minks attacking each other, gnawing off limbs of other caged animals and even feasting on their remains.

“Poles don’t want fur farms,” said Bogna Witkowska, one of the group’s leaders.

Wojcik said the footage in the documentary was manipulated, adding that it was in his interest to keep animals well cared for since the condition of their fur determined their value.

In an average year, 6.5 million minks are slaughtered in Poland, putting it just behind China and Denmark in terms of fur production.

Walking past rows of cages filled with minks scheduled to be slaughtered in a few weeks, he said he saw nothing wrong with his trade.

“People should take care of animals, but in the end it’s the animals who should serve people, not the other way round,” he said.

KASZEWSKA WOLA, Poland — When the European Union condemned Poland’s government for demonizing gays and lesbians, the country’s governing coalition defiantly stood together.

KASZEWSKA WOLA, Poland — When the European Union condemned Poland’s government for demonizing gays and lesbians, the country’s governing coalition defiantly stood together. When state media was accused of spreading hate speech that fueled violence, the governing parties brushed off concerns. And when protests erupted against efforts to control the judicial system, they pressed ahead regardless. Then came the minks. Proposed legislation that would ban the farming of minks, semiaquatic mammals prized for their fur, and put in place a range of protections for other animals, opened deep divisions in the coalition that almost brought down the government. It took the intervention of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the head of the dominant Law and Justice Party, to quell the uprising for now by taking on a formal role that allowed him to act as a buffer between opposing factions. The bill, which gained momentum after a documentary aired on Polish television showing minks living in deplorable conditions on one farm, has widespread public support and the leaders of the country’s foremost opposition party support the legislation. But the conservative governing coalition is divided over the issue, waging increasingly furious internal battles at a time when the nation is consumed with the coronavirus. All that has raised questions about the long-term viability of the government. In the face of those concerns, Kaczynski, the most powerful politician in Poland and the architect of the government’s agenda, stepped in Tuesday to be sworn in as deputy prime minister after five years of ruling from behind the scenes. Apart from separating feuding coalition partners, one of his main tasks will be trying to grow public support for the Law and Justice Party, whose candidate for president, Andrzej Duda, only managed a narrow election victory in July. It will be a difficult challenge since Kaczynski has been the driving force behind efforts by his party to marginalize the LGBT community, a campaign that has turned off many young voters. And his government has spent years at war with the European Union, despite broad support in Poland for membership in the bloc, especially among the generation born after the end of communist rule in 1989. The government also has a dismal record on environmental issues — from logging in the country’s ancient forests to failing to curb a reliance on coal. But in championing animal rights, Kaczynski sees an opportunity. “This is a pivotal moment for the party,” said Wojciech Przybylski, the editor-in-chief of Visegrad Insight, a policy journal focused on Central Europe. Kaczynski, he said, knows he needs to expand his political base to include younger, more moderate voters by sending “a message of concern about nature and animals.” The issue also seems personal for Kaczynski, who has long been known for his affection for animals. When his beloved cat, Alik, died, it was national news. The 71-year-old, who shuns nearly all requests for interviews outside of supportive media outlets, even went on TikTok to post a video promoting the #StopFurChallenge. Since coming to power in 2015, Kaczynski has rarely been challenged. But observers say the division within the coalition over the law reflects a much more profound split between factions that want to take control over the country’s conservative movement. While Kaczynski’s Law and Justice Party has long been the dominant force in the United Right coalition, it depends on the support of two junior conservative partners to stay in power: the Agreement and United Poland parties. United Poland is led by the country’s powerful justice minister, Zbigniew Ziobro, who has made no secret of his desire to become the leader of the country’s conservative movement. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki sees himself as the heir apparent. Kaczynski’s emergence as deputy prime minister was partly aimed at keeping the two men apart. Morawiecki quickly aligned himself with Kaczynski on the animal issue, posting his own video on TikTok supporting a ban on fur. Ziobro opposes the legislation and, until Kaczynski’s intervention, his party was threatening to withdraw from the coalition over it, a move that would have erased the government’s parliamentary majority. Ziobro’s opposition to the ban on mink farming reflects the industry’s deep roots in Poland. The country is home to the largest mink farms left in Europe and the third largest in the world. The bill, which is still being debated, calls for the fur farms to be closed in a year. The law would also end the use of wild animals in circuses, restrict the tethering of dogs on chains — a common practice in the countryside — and restrict the ritual slaughter of animals for meat. The bill has been loudly condemned by politicians from the far right, which has made greater inroads into politics during the five years of rule by the Law and Justice Party. Kaczynski has often used more extreme factions to push certain messages, and build his party’s power base. The far right was critical in directing public outrage at migrants, helping the Law and Justice Party rise to power in 2015. More recently, as the party cast “LGBT ideology” as a threat to the nation, ultraconservatives have been driving the messaging. Now Kaczynski risks losing some of that support. Rev. Tadeusz Rydzyk, a conservative cleric who has strong connections to Law and Order and controls a vast media empire, used his Radio Maryja station to attack the legislation. “They feel pity now over these little furs,” Rydzyk said recently, adding that the government should be focused on things like further limiting abortion rights. “Let’s not animalize man and humanize animals.” The bill is also opposed by the meat industry, which says its export business to markets with halal and kosher requirements would be badly hit. acek Zarzycki, president of the Polish Association of Beef Cattle Breeders and Producers, said that if the bill were passed, his members could lose 30% of their income. “We cannot afford that; we will lose the best export markets for Polish beef, which is the export star of Polish agriculture,” he told TVN24. But it is the minks that have drawn the most attention. And it has turned Szczepan Wojcik, who along with his four brothers controls the vast majority of the mink farms in the country, into a national figure. “I’m the most attacked person in Poland,” he said in an interview at one of his farms some 60 miles outside of Warsaw. He sees the attacks as part of a broader cultural war in Poland. “The people who started the debate in Poland about animal rights, banning the use of animals by man, for example, for furs, are exactly the same people who promote LGBT, same-sex marriage, abortion, euthanasia and so on,” he said. While he has supported Law and Justice in the past, he said his thinking was now more in line with the more conservative groups led by Ziobro and Rydzyk. Recent polls indicate overwhelming support for the ban, however. Much of that is a result of the documentary co-produced by the animal rights organization Open Cages, showing gruesome footage of minks attacking each other, gnawing off limbs of other caged animals and even feasting on their remains. “Poles don’t want fur farms,” said Bogna Witkowska, one of the group’s leaders. Wojcik said the footage in the documentary was manipulated, adding that it was in his interest to keep animals well cared for since the condition of their fur determined their value. In an average year, 6.5 million minks are slaughtered in Poland, putting it just behind China and Denmark in terms of fur production. Walking past rows of cages filled with minks scheduled to be slaughtered in a few weeks, he said he saw nothing wrong with his trade. “People should take care of animals, but in the end it’s the animals who should serve people, not the other way round,” he said.

Battle over mink fur almost brings down the Polish government

Over a million minks have been killed in Europe after testing positive for COVID-19. Fur Farms in the Netherlands were the first to detect cases. Now, Denmark and Spain are culling minks. WION's Executive Editor Palki Sharma Upadhyay tells you more.

Gravitas: A Million Minks Culled In Europe

Minks getting massacred is not unusual as they are anyways killed for fur.

However, the unusual element is a million minks have been culled since the Wuhan virus outbreak. They had all tested positive for COVID-19.&nbsp;

Also read&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/dutch-to-slaughter-around-10000-mink-after-coronavirus-outbreak-on-farms-303412">Dutch to slaughter around 10,000 mink after coronavirus outbreak on farms</a>

The pandemic first ripped through mink farms in the Netherlands. The first cases were detected in April. Officials say farm workers spread the virus.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mink-are-the-latest-animals-to-contract-coronavirus-296900">Mink are the latest animals to contract coronavirus</a>

Now, at least 25 Dutch mink farms are infected. The situation is getting worse in Demnark and Spain too.&nbsp;

Spain has ordered the killing of 100,000 minks at a single farm. As many as 87 per cent of these tested positive and seven farm workers were also trapped by the deadly virus.&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-a-million-minks-culled-in-europe-314145/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Since, transmission between animals and humans is not clear, all the minks aill be culled as a precautionary measure.&nbsp;

This will be a big loss to the company that runs the farm. They have been promised compensation. But, activists are protesting, claiming they must not be paid for abusing animals.&nbsp;

A number of country have already banned fur farming, including the UK, Austria and Croatia. Slovakia, Norway and Belgium are phasing it out.&nbsp;

But, the Netherlands and Spain are still considering it.&nbsp;

Dutch mink farming is due to be phased out by 2024. It could be too late.&nbsp;

The pandemic had put a halt on fur trade, but since the reopening of the borders, mink furs are making it to the markets again.&nbsp;

Nearly 5 millon mink pelts were offered for sale in June alone.&nbsp;

The pandemic did not end the cruel trade and the minks continue to die.&nbsp;

Minks getting massacred is not unusual as they are anyways killed for fur. However, the unusual element is a million minks have been culled since the Wuhan virus outbreak.

Minks getting massacred is not unusual as they are anyways killed for fur. However, the unusual element is a million minks have been culled since the Wuhan virus outbreak. They had all tested positive for COVID-19. Also read | Dutch to slaughter around 10,000 mink after coronavirus outbreak on farms The pandemic first ripped through mink farms in the Netherlands. The first cases were detected in April. Officials say farm workers spread the virus. Also read | Mink are the latest animals to contract coronavirus Now, at least 25 Dutch mink farms are infected. The situation is getting worse in Demnark and Spain too. Spain has ordered the killing of 100,000 minks at a single farm. As many as 87 per cent of these tested positive and seven farm workers were also trapped by the deadly virus. Since, transmission between animals and humans is not clear, all the minks aill be culled as a precautionary measure. This will be a big loss to the company that runs the farm. They have been promised compensation. But, activists are protesting, claiming they must not be paid for abusing animals. A number of country have already banned fur farming, including the UK, Austria and Croatia. Slovakia, Norway and Belgium are phasing it out. But, the Netherlands and Spain are still considering it. Dutch mink farming is due to be phased out by 2024. It could be too late. The pandemic had put a halt on fur trade, but since the reopening of the borders, mink furs are making it to the markets again. Nearly 5 millon mink pelts were offered for sale in June alone. The pandemic did not end the cruel trade and the minks continue to die.

How pandemic worsened the cruel fate of minks?

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