Denmark to dig up millions of dead mink after botched cull

The mink will be exhumed after six months, a time period deemed long enough to ensure there’s no longer a contamination risk, the Ministry of Food and Veterinary Affairs said on Sunday. The animals will then be incinerated, it said.

Denmark’s parliament has agreed to dig up about 4 million dead mink, after the animals were culled and buried in haste earlier this year in an effort to stamp out a mutation of the coronavirus.

Denmark’s parliament has agreed to dig up about 4 million dead mink, after the animals were culled and buried in haste earlier this year in an effort to stamp out a mutation of the coronavirus (AP)

The mink will be exhumed after six months, a time period deemed long enough to ensure there’s no longer a contamination risk, the Ministry of Food and Veterinary Affairs said on Sunday. The animals will then be incinerated, it said.

“Once the [dead] mink are no longer contaminated with Covid-19, they will be transported to an incineration facility, where they’ll be burned as corporate waste,” the ministry said. “That way we can avoid having to handle the mink as dangerous waste.”

The agreement comes after the animals had started to resurface from their mass graves, prompting fears of contamination.