France ordered the culling of thousands of minks
France ordered the culling of thousands of minks
France ordered the culling of thousands of minks. The French Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Ecological Transformation issued a joint statement announcing that a new coronavirus infection has been detected in a mink farm in Eure-Loire, this is the first time in France. According to Agence France-Presse, the three departments announced in a statement that they had ordered the culling of 1,000 minks in the farm and the destruction of related products.
At present, all the staff of the farm have tested negative for the new coronavirus, but the authorities have strengthened surveillance of the farmers and their family members as “case contacts”.
The French Environmental and Labor Hygiene Agency (Anses) conducted a screening of four mink farms in France within the framework of a special plan in mid-November. One of them was not affected, and the other two are still undergoing analysis. The results will be announced the following week.
On the 22nd, the French government emphasized the importance of taking action to prevent infection in mink farms. It is necessary to protect mink from infection by farmers and avoid contact between mink who may be infected and staff.
The French Fur Industry Federation stated on the evening of the 22nd that it will cooperate with the authorities in a transparent manner to ensure the best hygienic conditions for the breeding farm and breeding environment.
Up to now, many European countries such as Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Greece have reported the outbreak of the new coronavirus in mink farms, and isolated cases have been found in Italy and Spain.
On the 21st local time, Danish farmers and mink breeders drove more than 500 tractors to demonstrate in the capital, Copenhagen, to protest the government’s decision to kill millions of minks in response to the mutation of the COVID-19 virus.
However, according to the French Ministry of Agriculture, France has a total of about 20,000 minks, which is a far cry from Denmark, the world’s largest mink exporter. The number of minks in Denmark is between 15 and 17 million.
