The culling of mink, which became a major problem in Denmark last year, created a political crisis this year. After the mutated virus was detected on farms, a decision was made to cull 17 million mink. However, this decision has left the future of the government uncertain.
Denmark is struggling with mutated viruses seen in minks this year as in 2021. The viruses also opened the door to a political crisis in the country. In farms in the north of the country, millions of animals were killed after mutated viruses were seen in some minks.
The culling of millions of mink during the Covid pandemic in Denmark has put the future of Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who was criticized for this decision, into uncertainty. According to the news in BBC Turkish, after Covid variants were seen in minks in some farms in the north of the country, the government decided to kill 17 million animals on November 4, 2020 to prevent the spread of the disease.
LAWS BROKEN IN MINK CULLING
When it was revealed that there was no legal basis for this decision, which wiped out the entire farm mink population in Denmark, public outrage erupted and Agriculture Minister Mogens Jensen resigned two weeks later. Television footage of the giant pits in which the killed animals were buried and interviews with tearful farm owners further fueled outrage, and a parliamentary commission was eventually established.
The commission published its report on the investigation and concluded that Mette Frederiksen’s justifications for the killing of the minks were “highly misleading” and violated the law.
OPPOSITION CALLS FOR PRIME MINISTER FREDERİKSEN’S IMPEACHMENT
Mette Frederiksen has been criticized for her decision on November 4. The Commission concluded, however, that the prime minister did not know that there was no legal basis for her decision. The Commission heavily criticized Police Commissioner Thorkild Fogde, Prime Minister’s Undersecretary Barbara Bertelsen and Mogens Jensen, and recommended disciplinary proceedings against 10 senior bureaucrats.
The report’s criticism has put Frederiksen and the Social Democratic minority government in power since 2019 in a difficult position. Commission accuses Prime Minister of misleading the public
The government survives with the support of three left-leaning parties. A withdrawal of support from one of these parties could pave the way for an impeachment trial for Frederiksen. One of these parties, the Red-Green alliance, has announced that it will continue to support Frederiksen, stating that the prime minister has not done anything deliberately. The other two parties have announced that they need time for a decision.
Opposition parties are calling for Frederiksen’s impeachment.
