It is not a pleasant task to kill mink – neither for the owners nor those responsible for the killing.
This is stated by Hanne Larsen, veterinary director at the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, at a press conference on Thursday evening.
Nevertheless, up to one million mink must now be killed in North Jutland, after corona infection has been found on 41 farms. In the hope of getting rid of the infection, the authorities have decided to reduce the herd to up to 100 farms.
Also read: Minister will keep mink in Denmark despite infection
The killing takes place in boxes where the minks are gassed with carbon dioxide, says Hanne Larsen.
– Once dead, they are sprayed with disinfectant, put in containers and shipped for destruction. And then we can move on to the next one, says Hanne Larsen. She emphasizes that it is organized out of consideration for animal welfare.
Once the minks have been gassed, they are transported to a destruction facility. Here they are typically processed and cooked. Body and fat are converted into energy and fertilizer.
However, the work of killing the many mink is not finished right away. It may take one to two months before everyone is killed.
This is the assessment of Flemming Marker, head of VeterinærNord, which covers North Jutland, where the affected mink farms are located.
– It is a very large and serious task that requires a lot of planning and coordination with the Danish Emergency Management Agency, the police and the destruction facility.
– It takes a long time – at least several weeks before we are through all the farms, he says.
The work of killing the minks involves a lot of equipment and protective equipment to ensure that the infection is killed effectively and cannot spread again.
The Danish Emergency Management Agency is setting up, among other things, bath locks and cleaning plates for cars to ensure that the infection does not come out again. The police must help to ensure good peace and order.
Mink is used primarily to produce fur. But also the fur from the minks is destroyed, says Flemming Marker.
According to Danske Minkavlere, there are 942 mink farms in Denmark. The herds are of different sizes. But more than one in ten farms have to kill all their mink.
The killing takes place in boxes where the minks are gassed with carbon dioxide, says Hanne Larsen.
– Once dead, they are sprayed with disinfectant, put in containers and shipped for destruction. And then we can move on to the next one, says Hanne Larsen. She emphasizes that it is organized out of consideration for animal welfare.
Once the minks have been gassed, they are transported to a destruction facility. Here they are typically processed and cooked. Body and fat are converted into energy and fertilizer.
However, the work of killing the many mink is not finished right away. It may take one to two months before everyone is killed.
This is the assessment of Flemming Marker, head of VeterinærNord, which covers North Jutland, where the affected mink farms are located.
– It is a very large and serious task that requires a lot of planning and coordination with the Danish Emergency Management Agency, the police and the destruction facility.
– It takes a long time – at least several weeks before we are through all the farms, he says.
The work of killing the minks involves a lot of equipment and protective equipment to ensure that the infection is killed effectively and cannot spread again.
The Danish Emergency Management Agency is setting up, among other things, bath locks and cleaning plates for cars to ensure that the infection does not come out again. The police must help to ensure good peace and order.
Mink is used primarily to produce fur. But also the fur from the minks is destroyed, says Flemming Marker.
According to Danske Minkavlere, there are 942 mink farms in Denmark. The herds are of different sizes. But it is more than every tenth farm that has to kill all their mink.
Source: The Nordic Page