Mink industry in Denmark

Mink pelts at Kopenhagen Fur.

The mink industry in Denmark produced 40 percent of the world's pelts. Denmark used to be the largest producer of mink skins in the world.[1][2] Ranked third in Denmark's agricultural export items of animal origin, fur and mink skins have a yearly export value of about €500 million. Kopenhagen Fur, located in Copenhagen, is the world's largest fur auction house; annually, it sells approximately 14 million Danish mink skins produced by 2,000 Danish fur farmers, and 7 million mink skins produced in other countries.[3] Mink produced in Denmark was considered to be the finest in the world and is ranked by grade, with the best being Saga Royal, followed by Saga, Quality 1, and Quality 2.[3][4]

In November 2020, a mutated strain of COVID-19 known as "cluster 5" was detected among minks, leading the Danish Government to order the culling of 17 million minks in order to prevent a resurgence in COVID-19 cases, thus ending the mink industry in Denmark.[5][6]

  1. ^ "FACTS: Denmark is the world's largest producer of mink fur" (in Danish). Nord News. 5 November 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  2. ^ Williams, Gill (2011). 100 Alien Invaders. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 38. ISBN 978-1-84162-359-7. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Mink and Fur". Danish Agriculture & Food Council. Archived from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  4. ^ Sper, Sarah; Bluestone, Carissa, eds. (2006). Fodor's Denmark, 5th Ed. Fodor's Travel Publications. p. 61. ISBN 978-1-4000-1613-6.
  5. ^ Dean, Grace (5 November 2020). "Denmark says it will cull 17 million mink after discovering a mutated strain of COVID-19 that officials fear could 'restart' the entire global pandemic". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 5 November 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  6. ^ Finnemann Scheel, Agnete (5 November 2020). "Ny corona-mutation er en kæp i hjulet på vaccinen: Det ved vi om 'cluster 5'" (in Danish). DR. Archived from the original on 5 November 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.