The mink population at a Laois farm in Vicarstown is to be culled over fears associated with Covid-19.
The Irish Independent reports that the decision has been taken following fears of the further spread of Covid-19 through a variant strain of the virus after a mutated form of the virus was detected in a Danish mink farm.
According to the paper, Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan wrote to the chief vet at the Department of Agriculture citing fears over the impact on the general population if the mutated version of the virus crossed over.
There are three remaining mink farms in Ireland, home to around 120,000 mink, located in Donegal, Laois and Kerry.
The Independent is reporting that the three farms will be allowed to pelt, or remove the fur from their mink, but that no further breeding of mink can take place on the farms.
In the letter, Dr Holohan references remarks by Dr Cillian De Gascun of NPHET in which he raises the prospect that consideration be given to culling the herd because of a range of public health concerns.
The CMO told the Department of Agriculture that all mink should be culled, “as a matter of urgency”.
Mink farmers have accused the Government of culling healthy animals, “without providing any scientific or legal basis”.
They say the decision has, “left 3 farm families in rural Ireland devastated and without a livelihood”.
In a statement issued to RTÉ News the farmers says the decision is a “copycat version” of a similar move in Denmark.
The farmers come under the umbrella of Fur Europe.
The statement says: “While the Irish government is leaning on the recent Danish decision to cull all animals on these farms, it neglects to mention that the Danish decision was based on a rapid increase in the number of infected mink farms.
“This increase was triggered by many farms located in the same geographical area, but this is far from the case in Ireland, where there are just 3 farms in rural areas located in Kerry, Donegal and Laois.”
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