'We have two generations of mink farmers, who have had their life's work shattered. It has been emotional for them, and it has for me too', Danish PM Frederiksen said with a wavering voice.
REUTERS: Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen broke down on Thursday (Nov 26) when visiting a mink farmer who lost his herd following the Danish government’s order this month to cull all 17 million mink in the country to curb the spread of coronavirus…
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…
Ms Frederiksen has faced opposition calls to resign and a vote of no confidence in Danish Parliament after an order by the government in early November, which it later admitted was illegal, to cull the country’s entire mink population….
“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,” Ms 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,” Ms Frederiksen said with a wavering voice, pausing for breath in between words…
Denmark has proposed a ban on all mink breeding in the country until 2022. Mr 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 US$800 million (S$1,071 million) annually, is finished. SOURCE…
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