Denmark&nbsp;on Monday announced it will&nbsp;dig up millions of dead mink it culled to stamp out a potentially dangerous mutation of the virus that causes coronavirus, only to find that their rotting carcasses could cause a fresh contamination risk.

Officials ordered Denmark’s entire herd of approximately 15 million mink,&nbsp;which are farmed for their furs and prized in the high-end fashion industry, be destroyed in early November after a mutated form of the novel coronavirus was found to have been transmitted between the animals and humans.

Also read| <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mass-graves-for-mink-in-denmark-may-have-already-polluted-groundwater-report-348874">Mass graves for mink in Denmark may have already polluted groundwater: Report</a>

Workers will have to wait several months to make sure there is no risk of contracting Covid-19 from the animals before incinerating them, the government said, though officials say they are hopeful the decision will bring an end to the saga, which has rocked Denmark’s government and driven broader concerns about the safety of the global fur-farming industry.

Meanwhile,&nbsp;Danish lawmakers passed a law to&nbsp;temporarily ban mink breeding, leaving little hope to rebuild the industry, which pioneered 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 all mink culled in early November, despite lacking part of the legal basis to do so.

The move by lawmakers retroactively creates the legal basis for its order to cull all mink in the country in November.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/back-from-dead-zombie-minks-rise-from-graves-to-exact-revenge-after-being-culled-345356">Back from dead? Zombie minks rise from graves to 'exact revenge' after being culled</a>

Likely to be one of the last farmers in&nbsp;Denmark&nbsp;with mink on his farm, Erik Vammen initially defied the government's calls for a nationwide cull, but now faces no other option than to put down his remaining 5,000 virus-free mink.

"I will comply with the law, as I've always done", Vammen said, adding that he'll wait until the last moment to cull his mink.

"I'm keeping my head high." The 62-year old farmer said it is likely he'll pick up mink breeding again when the temporary ban subsides in 2022.

The new law, which bans mink breeding by Jan. 15, also outlines some compensation for farmers, but lawmakers have yet to finalize exact measures.

The government's order has effectively obliterated&nbsp;Denmark's mink industry, known for its top-quality mink pelts, with most farmers and industry voices saying the industry will never recover.

Authorities later admitted that the order to cull healthy mink herds had lacked a legal basis.

The move hurled the government into a political storm, as plummeting public trust coincided with resignation calls and a vote of no confidence by opposition parties, culminating in the exit of the agriculture minister.

Parliament has also decided to instigate a probe into the government's handling of the mink crisis, including the actions of Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

Denmark on Monday announced it will dig up millions of dead mink it culled to stamp out a potentially dangerous mutation of the virus that causes coronavirus, only to find that their rotting carcasses could cause a fresh contamination risk.

Denmark on Monday announced it will dig up millions of dead mink it culled to stamp out a potentially dangerous mutation of the virus that causes coronavirus, only to find that their rotting carcasses could cause a fresh contamination risk. Officials ordered Denmark’s entire herd of approximately 15 million mink, which are farmed for their furs and prized in the high-end fashion industry, be destroyed in early November after a mutated form of the novel coronavirus was found to have been transmitted between the animals and humans. Also read| Mass graves for mink in Denmark may have already polluted groundwater: Report Workers will have to wait several months to make sure there is no risk of contracting Covid-19 from the animals before incinerating them, the government said, though officials say they are hopeful the decision will bring an end to the saga, which has rocked Denmark’s government and driven broader concerns about the safety of the global fur-farming industry. Meanwhile, Danish lawmakers passed a law to temporarily ban mink breeding, leaving little hope to rebuild the industry, which pioneered 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 all mink culled in early November, despite lacking part of the legal basis to do so. The move by lawmakers retroactively creates the legal basis for its order to cull all mink in the country in November. Also read: Back from dead? Zombie minks rise from graves to 'exact revenge' after being culled Likely to be one of the last farmers in Denmark with mink on his farm, Erik Vammen initially defied the government's calls for a nationwide cull, but now faces no other option than to put down his remaining 5,000 virus-free mink. "I will comply with the law, as I've always done", Vammen said, adding that he'll wait until the last moment to cull his mink. "I'm keeping my head high." The 62-year old farmer said it is likely he'll pick up mink breeding again when the temporary ban subsides in 2022. The new law, which bans mink breeding by Jan. 15, also outlines some compensation for farmers, but lawmakers have yet to finalize exact measures. The government's order has effectively obliterated Denmark's mink industry, known for its top-quality mink pelts, with most farmers and industry voices saying the industry will never recover. Authorities later admitted that the order to cull healthy mink herds had lacked a legal basis. The move hurled the government into a political storm, as plummeting public trust coincided with resignation calls and a vote of no confidence by opposition parties, culminating in the exit of the agriculture minister. Parliament has also decided to instigate a probe into the government's handling of the mink crisis, including the actions of Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

Denmark to exhume millions of mink after botched coronavirus cull

Denmark's government said on Friday it wants to dig up mink that were culled to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, after some resurfaced from mass graves.

Denmark is facing a new horror, as cadavers of the culled minks have re-emerged from the earth, as per footage from local channels.

The macabre phenomenon was observed in a military training field outside the western town of Holstebro, where thousands of minks had been put into an improvised mass grave.&nbsp;Newspapers have referred to them as the "zombie mink".

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/back-from-dead-zombie-minks-rise-from-graves-to-exact-revenge-after-being-culled-345356">Back from dead? Zombie minks rise from graves to 'exact revenge' after being culled</a>

Calling it a natural phenomenon, the local police said they ''got lifted by pressure from gases released by the decomposition.''

Denmark had ordered all farmed mink to be culled early this month after finding that 12 people had been infected by a mutated strain of the virus that causes COVID-19, which passed from humans to mink and back to humans.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-covid-scare-denmark-shaken-by-mink-culling-342511/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The decision led to 17 million animals being destroyed and to the resignation last week of Food and Agriculture Minister Morgens Jensen, after it was determined that the order was illegal.

Jensen's replacement, Rasmus Prehn, said on Friday he supported the idea of digging up the animals and incinerating them. He said he had asked the environmental protection agency look into whether it could be done, and parliament would be briefed on the issue on Monday.

The macabre burial sites, guarded 24 hours a day to keep people and animals away, have drawn complaints from area residents about possible health risks.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/worlds-largest-fur-auction-house-to-shut-down-following-mink-decimation-342962">World's largest fur auction house to shut down&nbsp;following mink decimation</a>

Authorities say there is no risk of the graves spreading the coronavirus, but locals worry about the risk of contaminating drinking water and a bathing lake less than 200 metres away.

Earlier,&nbsp;Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen broke down on Thursday when visiting a mink farmer who lost his herd following the government's order this month to cull all 17 million mink in the country to curb the spread of coronavirus.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/danish-pm-breaks-down-over-mink-culling-345778/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Frederiksen has faced opposition calls to resign and a vote of no confidence in parliament after an order by the government in early November, which it later admitted was illegal, to cull the country's entire mink population.

The order was given after authorities found COVID-19 outbreaks at hundreds of mink farms, including a new strain of the virus, suspected of being able to compromise the efficacy of vaccines.

"We have two generations of really skilled mink farmers, father and son, who in a very, very short time have had their life's work shattered," Frederiksen told reporters after a meeting with a mink farmer and his son at their farm near Kolding in Western&nbsp;Denmark.

"It has been emotional for them, and... Sorry. It has for me too," Frederiksen said with a wavering voice, pausing for breath in between words.

The move to cull&nbsp;Denmark's entire mink population, one of the world's biggest and highly valued for the quality of its fur, has left the government reeling after it admitted it did not have the legal basis to order the culling of healthy mink.

After a tumultuous couple of weeks since the order was given on Nov. 4, the Minister of Agriculture, Mogens Jensen, stepped down last week after an internal investigation revealed a flawed political process.

Denmark&nbsp;has proposed a ban on all mink breeding in the country until 2022. Tage Pedersen, head of the Danish mink breeders' association, said this month the industry, which employs around 6,000 people and exports fur pelts worth $800 million annually, is finished.

Denmark's opposition says the cull of healthy mink should not have been initiated before compensation plans were in place for the owners and workers at some 1,100 mink farms.

Denmark's government said on Friday it wants to dig up mink that were culled to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, after some resurfaced from mass graves. Denmark is facing a new horror, as cadavers of the culled minks have re-emerged from the earth, as per footage from local channels.

Denmark's government said on Friday it wants to dig up mink that were culled to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, after some resurfaced from mass graves. Denmark is facing a new horror, as cadavers of the culled minks have re-emerged from the earth, as per footage from local channels. The macabre phenomenon was observed in a military training field outside the western town of Holstebro, where thousands of minks had been put into an improvised mass grave. Newspapers have referred to them as the "zombie mink". Also read: Back from dead? Zombie minks rise from graves to 'exact revenge' after being culled Calling it a natural phenomenon, the local police said they ''got lifted by pressure from gases released by the decomposition.'' Denmark had ordered all farmed mink to be culled early this month after finding that 12 people had been infected by a mutated strain of the virus that causes COVID-19, which passed from humans to mink and back to humans. The decision led to 17 million animals being destroyed and to the resignation last week of Food and Agriculture Minister Morgens Jensen, after it was determined that the order was illegal. Jensen's replacement, Rasmus Prehn, said on Friday he supported the idea of digging up the animals and incinerating them. He said he had asked the environmental protection agency look into whether it could be done, and parliament would be briefed on the issue on Monday. The macabre burial sites, guarded 24 hours a day to keep people and animals away, have drawn complaints from area residents about possible health risks. Also read: World's largest fur auction house to shut down following mink decimation Authorities say there is no risk of the graves spreading the coronavirus, but locals worry about the risk of contaminating drinking water and a bathing lake less than 200 metres away. Earlier, Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen broke down on Thursday when visiting a mink farmer who lost his herd following the government's order this month to cull all 17 million mink in the country to curb the spread of coronavirus. Frederiksen has faced opposition calls to resign and a vote of no confidence in parliament after an order by the government in early November, which it later admitted was illegal, to cull the country's entire mink population. The order was given after authorities found COVID-19 outbreaks at hundreds of mink farms, including a new strain of the virus, suspected of being able to compromise the efficacy of vaccines. "We have two generations of really skilled mink farmers, father and son, who in a very, very short time have had their life's work shattered," Frederiksen told reporters after a meeting with a mink farmer and his son at their farm near Kolding in Western Denmark. "It has been emotional for them, and... Sorry. It has for me too," Frederiksen said with a wavering voice, pausing for breath in between words. The move to cull Denmark's entire mink population, one of the world's biggest and highly valued for the quality of its fur, has left the government reeling after it admitted it did not have the legal basis to order the culling of healthy mink. After a tumultuous couple of weeks since the order was given on Nov. 4, the Minister of Agriculture, Mogens Jensen, stepped down last week after an internal investigation revealed a flawed political process. Denmark has proposed a ban on all mink breeding in the country until 2022. Tage Pedersen, head of the Danish mink breeders' association, said this month the industry, which employs around 6,000 people and exports fur pelts worth $800 million annually, is finished. Denmark's opposition says the cull of healthy mink should not have been initiated before compensation plans were in place for the owners and workers at some 1,100 mink farms.

Denmark to dig up 'zombie mink' that resurfaced from mass graves

Denmark is facing a new horror, as cadavers of the culled minks have re-emerged from the earth, as per footage from local channels.

The macabre phenomenon was observed in a military training field outside the western town of Holstebro, where thousands of minks had been put into an improvised mass grave.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-covid-scare-denmark-shaken-by-mink-culling-342511/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Hordes of carcasses of dead minks&nbsp;resurfaced from the grave after mass culling, leading to speculation that they have returned as zombies to ''exact revenge''.

Calling it a natural phenomenon, the local police said they ''got lifted by pressure from gases released by the decomposition.''

The environment ministry said minks should be covered by at least 150 centimetres (five feet) of earth, but according to public broadcaster DR they were only buried under 100 centimetres of dirt in the field outside Holstebro.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/denmark-says-mutated-coronavirus-from-mink-farms-most-likely-eradicated-344112">Denmark says mutated coronavirus from mink farms 'most likely eradicated'</a>

"The authorities are playing with our environment and using it as a dumping ground," Leif Brogger, a local politician, told Jyllands-Posten newspaper.

Adding to the frustration, the animals had been buried too close to a lake, raising fears of phosphorus and nitrogen pollution, though officials have promised to fix the situation.

The ministry insisted the minks' escape from their tomb was a "temporary problem tied to the animals' decaying process".

"To avoid potential problems for animals and humans the area will be monitored 24 hours a day until a fence is put up," said the ministry.

Photos and videos of the ghastly sight have set social media abuzz, with one Twitter user dubbing 2020 "the year of the zombie mutant killer minks".

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2020, the year of the zoombie mutant killer minks <a href="https://t.co/UDqGWtJYSB">https://t.co/UDqGWtJYSB</a>
— Stefan Bøgh-Andersen (@nitoen) <a href="https://twitter.com/nitoen/status/1331196862414663680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen&nbsp;faced opposition calls to resign after her agriculture minister stepped down over an illegal order by the government to cull the country's farmed&nbsp;mink.

Frederiksen has apologised publicly, but maintains the decision to cull all&nbsp;mink&nbsp;was sound and based on an assessment by health authorities.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/denmark-prime-minister-has-apologized-for-the-recent-mass-mink-culling-342426/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

In early November, Denmark -- which is the world's largest exporter of mink fur -- announced it would cull all of the country's more than 15 million minks after a mutated version of the novel coronavirus was discovered and believed to jeopardise the effectiveness of future vaccines.

Two weeks after having issued the decree -- while in the middle of a political crisis over the legality of the decision -- the government concluded last week that the potential threat to human vaccines was "very likely extinguished", in the absence of any new cases of the mutated version. &nbsp;

More than 10 million minks have already been culled in the Scandinavian country, according to the latest tally.

Denmark is facing a new horror, as cadavers of the culled minks have re-emerged from the earth, as per footage from local channels. The macabre phenomenon was observed in a military training field outside the western town of Holstebro, where thousands of minks had been put into an improvised mass grave.

Denmark is facing a new horror, as cadavers of the culled minks have re-emerged from the earth, as per footage from local channels. The macabre phenomenon was observed in a military training field outside the western town of Holstebro, where thousands of minks had been put into an improvised mass grave. Hordes of carcasses of dead minks resurfaced from the grave after mass culling, leading to speculation that they have returned as zombies to ''exact revenge''. Calling it a natural phenomenon, the local police said they ''got lifted by pressure from gases released by the decomposition.'' The environment ministry said minks should be covered by at least 150 centimetres (five feet) of earth, but according to public broadcaster DR they were only buried under 100 centimetres of dirt in the field outside Holstebro. Also read: Denmark says mutated coronavirus from mink farms 'most likely eradicated' "The authorities are playing with our environment and using it as a dumping ground," Leif Brogger, a local politician, told Jyllands-Posten newspaper. Adding to the frustration, the animals had been buried too close to a lake, raising fears of phosphorus and nitrogen pollution, though officials have promised to fix the situation. The ministry insisted the minks' escape from their tomb was a "temporary problem tied to the animals' decaying process". "To avoid potential problems for animals and humans the area will be monitored 24 hours a day until a fence is put up," said the ministry. Photos and videos of the ghastly sight have set social media abuzz, with one Twitter user dubbing 2020 "the year of the zombie mutant killer minks". 2020, the year of the zoombie mutant killer minks https://t.co/UDqGWtJYSB — Stefan Bøgh-Andersen (@nitoen) November 24, 2020 × Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen faced opposition calls to resign after her agriculture minister stepped down over an illegal order by the government to cull the country's farmed mink. Frederiksen has apologised publicly, but maintains the decision to cull all mink was sound and based on an assessment by health authorities. In early November, Denmark -- which is the world's largest exporter of mink fur -- announced it would cull all of the country's more than 15 million minks after a mutated version of the novel coronavirus was discovered and believed to jeopardise the effectiveness of future vaccines. Two weeks after having issued the decree -- while in the middle of a political crisis over the legality of the decision -- the government concluded last week that the potential threat to human vaccines was "very likely extinguished", in the absence of any new cases of the mutated version. More than 10 million minks have already been culled in the Scandinavian country, according to the latest tally.

Back from dead? Zombie minks rise from graves to 'exact revenge' after being culled

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Denmark to exhume millions of mink after botched coronavirus cull

Denmark to dig up 'zombie mink' that resurfaced from mass graves

Back from dead? Zombie minks rise from graves to 'exact revenge' after being culled