Why are minks being culled in Denmark?

Mink look out from their cage at the farm of Henrik Nordgaard Hansen and Ann-Mona Kulsoe Larsen
Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Ima
April Roach @aprilroach287 November 2020

More than 17 million minks will be slaughtered after several people in Denmark were found to have been infected with a mutated strain of Covid-19 linked to the animals.

Denmark Prime minister Mette Frederiksen said a report that maps coronavirus in his country has shown a mutation in the virus found in 12 people in the northern part of the country who were infected by mink.

The outbreaks have led to the UK removing the Scandinavian country from its travel corridors list and the introduction of new immigration powers on foreign visitors from Denmark to the UK.

Here is all we know about the mink-related coronavirus outbreaks.

‘Unique combinations of mutations’

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said SARS-CoV-2 strains infecting minks, which are subsequently transmitted to humans, may have acquired “unique combinations of mutations”. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes the Covid-19 disease.

But advanced laboratory studies are required in order to fully understand the impact of specific mutations.

Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Italy and the US, have reported coronavirus in farmed minks to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).

Since June 2020, 214 human cases of Covid-19 have been identified in Denmark with SARS-CoV-2 variants associated with farmed minks, including 12 cases with a unique variant, reported on November 5.

Mink farm owners, Holger Rønnow and wife Ruth Rønnow
Getty Images

All 12 cases were identified in September 2020 in North Jutland, Denmark, and the cases ranged in age from seven to 79 years, with eight having a link to the mink farming industry while four cases were from the local community.

The WHO said initial observations suggest that the clinical presentation, severity and transmission among those infected are similar to that of other circulating SARS-CoV-2 viruses.

But they added that this variant, referred to as the “cluster 5” variant, had “a combination of mutations, or changes that have not been previously observed”.

The WHO said minks can act as a reservoir of SARS-CoV-2, passing the virus between them, and pose a risk for virus spill-over from mink to humans, and people can then transmit this virus within the human population.

“As viruses move between human and animal populations, genetic modifications in the virus can occur,” the WHO said.

“These changes can be identified through whole genome sequencing, and when found, experiments can study the possible implications of these changes on the disease in humans.”

They said that although the virus is believed to be ancestrally linked to bats, the virus origin of SARS-CoV-2 have not yet been identified.

Several animals that have been in contact with infected humans, such as minks, dogs, domestic cats, lions and tigers, have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.

What have the experts said?

Ian Jones, professor of virology at University of Reading, said this week that it is hard to comment on specifics regarding mutations as there does not appear to be any report or data on the mink mutation in the public domain.

“But the idea that the virus mutates in a new species is not surprising as it must adapt to be able to use mink receptors to enter cells and so will modify the spike protein to enable this to happen efficiently,” Prof Jones said.

“The danger is that the mutated virus could then spread back into man and evade any vaccine response which would have been designed to the original, non-mutated version of the spike protein, and not the mink-adapted version.

“Of course the mink version may not transmit well to man, so it’s a theoretical risk but Denmark is clearly taking a precautionary stance in aiming to eradicate the mink version so that this possibility is avoided or made much less likely,” he said.

Professor James Wood, head of department of veterinary medicine at University of Cambridge, said: “The true implication of the changes in the spike protein have not yet been evaluated by the international scientific community and are thus unclear.

“It is too early to say that the change will cause either vaccines or immunity to fail.”

Mink farmer Henrik Nordgaard Hansen (R) collects a batch of mink with an employee as they have to kill off their herd
Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images

What measures have been introduced?

Last month, Denmark started culling millions of mink in the north of the country. The government has promised to compensate farmers.

According to government estimates, culling the country's 15 million mink could cost up to five billion kroner (£605 million).

The move was welcomed by animal rights activists, who hope the cull will cause farms to pivot away from mink farming.

Animal welfare group Humane Society International applauded the prime minister for taking "such an essential and science-based step to protect Danish citizens" and said it hoped that losing so many mink to the coronavirus causes fur farms to get out of the business.

"Although the death of millions of mink, whether culled for Covid-19 or killed for fur, is an animal welfare tragedy, fur farmers will now have a clear opportunity to pivot away from this cruel and dying industry and choose a more humane and sustainable livelihood instead," Humane Society International-Europe spokesman Joanna Swabe said.

She added: "Although not a ban on fur farming, this move signals the end of suffering for millions of animals confined to small wire cages on Danish fur farms solely for the purposes of a trivial fur fashion that no-one needs. 

“We commend the Danish Prime Minister on her decision to take such an essential and science-led step to protect Danish citizens from the deadly coronavirus and ensure that the effectiveness of any vaccine is not compromised by mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 virus from its mink hosts.”

Additional reporting by PA Media.

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