Copenhagen: Millions of dead mink thrown into mass graves have resurfaced in Denmark, triggering a new wave of finger pointing over how the country is handling the crisis.
The animals, which were culled earlier this month after Denmark found a mutation of the coronavirus in mink that could spread to humans and hamper vaccine efforts, have since started to rot. The gas in their bodies is now causing the mink to rise to the surface, fanning contamination fears.
The development marks the latest embarrassment for Denmark’s government, which was slammed by parliament for failing to consult the legislature before ordering farmers to cull their mink. The minister in charge has since been forced to resign, but Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen still faces questions about her handling of the case.
On Thursday, she offered a tearful apology to Denmark’s mink farmers for the mistakes made.
“I think there’s a reason to apologize for the process,” Frederiksen said, according to footage published by Danish media. “Mistakes were made.”
The list of errors, including alleged acts of cruelty due to the rushed nature of the cull, has even angered members of Frederiksen’s own Social Democrats.
Hans Christian Osterby, a Social Democrat mayor for the city of Holstebro in western Denmark, said the way in which the mink were buried was “completely wrong,” in an interview with broadcaster TV2. He also criticized the authorities for burying the animals in his municipality, without first seeking consent.
The graves were too shallow and the dead animals were left in places “where they shouldn’t be,” he said. “This decision has been made really, really fast and we as a municipality have not been involved at all.”
Frederik Waage, a law professor at the University of Southern Denmark, told Jyllands-Posten that the government may have strayed on the wrong side of the law by failing to strike an agreement with the relevant municipalities before burying the mink.
Denmark’s Environmental Protection Agency told the newspaper the graves are legal, based on an assessment that the situation was an emergency.- Bloomberg
Also read: Why Covid explosion in Denmark’s mink is a danger sign for vaccines
unknown crisis — government panic. and hasty decisions. Even if you are a first world country praised for your discipline! Same all the world over.