A few weeks back Denmark took the decision to kill millions of minks in the country over the fear of spread of mutated covid-19 virus. However, in the haste of decisions the country is now facing legal challenges, with public questioning if the mass killing of the animals was necessary.
It was earlier this month that the news of Denmark taking a decision to kill millions of minks over the fear of spread of a mutated form of COVID-19 virus.
According to officials, the minks showed reduced sensitivity to COVID antibodies, sparking worries that if someone was to contract the virus via the animal, future vaccinations may not be as effective for them.
By November 10, two million minks had been killed – many of which had been buried in mass graves. The Danish government also ran into legal issues, with people questioning if the mass killing of the animals was necessary.
As reported by The Guardian, the court challenge to the decision had no legal basis and as a result, the country's agriculture minister had to resign from his position.
Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, the leader of Denmark’s largest opposition party Venstre, said he had ‘massive doubts’ about the science behind the cull. He added, ‘At the same time the government is taking away the livelihood of a large number of people without actually having the legal rights to do so.’
According to The Guardian, as of November 27, around 10 million of the animals had been killed.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has since apologized for her handling of the pandemic and for ordering the cull with no legal basis.
As per BBC News, she said:
Even if we were in a rush, it should have been completely clear to us that new legislation was required, and it was not. I apologise for that.
She further apologised on Thursday, November 26, saying, ‘I don’t have any issues with apologising for the course of events, because mistakes have been made.’
Despite the mistakes they have made, the Danish government is now supposedly confident that the threat from minks has been ‘very likely extinguished’, as no new cases have been reported.