The first money for mink breeders is now paid out

Food Minister Rasmus Prehn (S) says that the first money is on its way to mink breeders. However, only a part.

Minister of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Rasmus Prehn (S) says in the Folketing Hall that the first fees for mink breeders who have slaughtered their animals will be paid “during these hours”.

He says this when asked why no compensation and compensation has been paid to the mink breeders yet, after they were asked in early November to slaughter all their animals. At the same time, they were promised full and quick compensation.

– There should be no doubt that I would have liked to have seen that we could have paid money to the mink breeders a long time ago, says Rasmus Prehn.

– And there should be no doubt that I would like compensation paid out as soon as possible.

The large compensation package is subject to an agreement in the Folketing and approval in the EU. But parts of the compensation – fees for growers whose farms were not affected, but were close to infected farms – are now paid.

– As for fees for having slaughtered animals, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration has informed me that they are starting payment in zone 2 during these hours, says Rasmus Prehn.

The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration informs Ritzau that the first money for mink breeders who have provided assistance in killing mink will be paid out this week.

Also, the pace bonus that some growers are entitled to and prepayments of compensation are expected to be on the way soon.

– This means that a number of mink breeders these days and for the rest of January and February receive part of the money they are entitled to, and which they have quite understandably demanded, the agency says in a written comment.

During the fall, the corona began to spread on the country’s mink farms, and in October, it was decided that some mink should be killed.

This applied to both the minks on farms with confirmed cases of infection and herds within 7.8 kilometers of an infected farm.

Later, the mink breeders were allowed to help kill the minks, and that is payment for the work that is now underway.

The issuance of the necessary compensation order is still missing. It also makes EU approval of the payout model.

However, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration expects that it may be in place during the coming week.

But it will take some time before all mink breeders have received their final payments, the agency emphasizes.

This is due to the fact that several cases have not been clarified and that the agency does not yet have “the capacity completely in place”.

– We regret that, but this is a completely new and rather complex task for the agency, it sounds from the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration.

In November, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (S) said at a press conference that all mink must now be killed.

This was because mutations of covid-19 had been found that could threaten a vaccine. However, there was no legal authority to require it.

The case ended up costing the then Minister of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Mogens Jensen (S) the job.

Since then, a law was passed banning the keeping of mink in Denmark until 2022. It was passed on 21 December.

/ ritzau /