Mink Farms in Denmark

Always profit at the expense of welfare. The conditions are appalling, short lives filled with fear. Some fake fur is actually real so I avoid all fur now. The other point to note is that the virus is spreading again from species to species in part at least because of the condition the animals are kept in. This seems to be a lesson that we refuse to learn. There's always a price to pay.

Mink skins amount to a 1/3 of Danish exports to China. Mmm, makes you think, doesn't it?

Makes you sick actually! I just hope that this outbreak will put an end to these farms once and for all! At least something good will have come out of this awful virus!

One of the reasons I voted to leave the EU was their dismal animal welfare record! There were other reasons as well, but this was a definite consideration.

I naively thought fur trading/farming was illegal. Show how ignorant I am!
Me too, boodymum67
I was astonished to hear this news report that a so-called civilised EU country farmed mink for the fur trade.

Mink skins amount to a 1/3 of Danish exports to China. Mmm, makes you think, doesn't it?
I'm even more astonished! Not that the Chinese would use fur but that they import the skins from an EU country.

Apparently the Dutch have these farms as well
Italian mink farms
I must be very naive.

If the virus has mutated in Europe and passed back to humans then we will never be rid of it even if we do have a vaccine.

the mutated virus has now spread to mink in
Sweden, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, and USA;
acc to World Health Organisation.
any vaccine currently being developed is unlikely to be as effective against it.

I trust all you disgusted people are vegetarians.

Not that I approve in the slightest of mink farms; I thought the use of animal fur was well on its way out. But I don't see a lot of difference between rearing animals for their fur and rearing them for meat.

Just wait until you find out about US animal welfare standards...

and it just shows how we must never give up those farming standards for meat production. US style farming is rife with such problems and only controlled with massive doses of anitbiotics to which we are getting resistant.

As long as there is a public demand for Mink fur products that demand will be met from somewhere in the world.

Just as we all know of poor employers in Britain, but as long as there is a customer base demand for their products or services they will remain as bad employers.

I trust all you disgusted people are vegetarians.

Nope

But I can see the difference between keeping farm animals in humane conditions for omnivores to eat and keeping wild animals in cages for the vanity of wearing fur.

and it just shows how we must never give up those farming standards for meat production
Hear hear, biba.

Anyone who thinks we have high animal welfare standards in the U.K. should see some videos of abattoirs, cattle prodded into line to get their throats cut any other a distressing journey, chicken farms where male chicks are chucked onto a conveyor belt and crushed, pigs crated so they can’t move, tiny quails kept in disgusting conditions for their eggs, not to mention puppy farms, dog fights, badger baiting, fox hunting etc etc.

Meanwhile there is an outbreak of bird flu in Germany, Holland and France.

I'm not vegetarian or vegan but our diet includes meat maybe twice a week. The meat comes from our butcher, the lamb is his and we see it wandering the moors. Everything else is locally and sustainably sourced.
I write this without feeling any pride in the fact I haven't given up animal products. I enjoy animal products and try to do what I can to ensure the lives they live before slaughter are happy. I am uneasy about slaughter of course I am. Our butcher slaughters his own lambs. He is a lovely man who loves his beasts. Either we give up meat and dairy and leave men like him unemployed or we continue to do what we can to ensure animal welfare is central.
As for mink and other farm firms. Just stop it. We do not need fur products. Its cruel and unnecessary.

boodymum67, you said 'was caught and put into a container'. No, that was a shredder - it made me feel very sick watching that on the news!

www.kinderworld.org/videos/egg-industry/baby-chicks-ground-up-alive/

This happens in the U.K.

boodymum67

Hi, I saw this and was incensed with anger..it brought me to tears.

Like you Grannygravy, I thought about animal welfare and I naively thought fur trading/farming was illegal. Show how ignorant I am!

You haven't mentioned it, but I`m sure you will have seen that Denmark is culling 17 million mink, because covid has mutated, got into the mink and then passed to humans. Several people are affected. Karma or what!

The film showed one little mink trying to make a getaway and was caught and put into a `container. Grrr!

Who on earth wants or needs a real fur?

Good post, well said ??????

Jaberwok

One of the reasons I voted to leave the EU was their dismal animal welfare record! There were other reasons as well, but this was a definite consideration.

It’s actually shocking isn’t it?

Callistemon

^I trust all you disgusted people are vegetarians.^

Nope

But I can see the difference between keeping farm animals in humane conditions for omnivores to eat and keeping wild animals in cages for the vanity of wearing fur.

Ditto Callistemon I also know the value of grazing animals in maintaining biodiversity. But that's getting off topic.

I’m another one who had not the first idea that mink was farmed at all, let alone farmed in so many EU countries, and America. Why does anyone need a fur coat, or anything else fur?
I’ve never thought much of EU animal welfare. I don’t think much of our animal welfare either, but it’s decidedly better than European animal welfare, or American animal welfare.

i'm a bit surprised that people didn't know about mink farming, given that i did know of it, and i know nothing about fur or fashion. not my interest.

Don’t blame the EU for poor animal welfare - it’s the same everywhere- individual countries were perfectly free to have higher standards, the Netherlands has higher standards than the U.K. and they are in the EU. Our standards are very low in many areas so don’t fool yourself that we are superior. Mink farms are disgusting and let’s hope bringing this into the open spells an end to this trade in Denmark.

Leaving the EU has given the green light for us to lower our standards - we weren’t stopped from raising them as members.

I’m another who was astonished to read this yesterday - thanks for posting, OP.
I’ve long avoided Danish bacon (and in fact any non U.K., non higher welfare pork or bacon) because of the factory farming issue, and I don’t like Lurpak anyway.

I was thinking yesterday that I wouldn’t mind betting that a lot of the mink skins go to China - hardly renowned for its animal welfare - so not at all surprised to see that confirmed here.