Ireland is planning a nationwide cull of mink over fears they may carry a mutated version of the coronavirus detected in the animals in Denmark , a government spokesman said Thursday. An agriculture ministry spokesman said that testing of Ireland's mink herd has yielded no positive Covid-19 tests to date. "Therefore, it has recommended that farmed mink in Ireland should be culled to minimise or eliminate this risk." National media report there are three mink farms housing around 100,000 animals across Ireland. Earlier this month Denmark -- the world's largest producer of mink fur -- announced a nationwide cull of 15 million to 17 million animals after a mutated version of the coronavirus was detected in farms and spread to humans.

Source: Mint November 19, 2020 13:41 UTC