Covid-19 infection in minks in Poland
Scientists from the State Veterinary Institute in Puławy confirmed the presence of coronavirus in 4 breeding minks (out of 20 tested) at a farm in Pomeranian Region.
The virus can spread to humans. The entire herd of nearly 6000 minks will be eliminated by gassing. The same farm had been already tested in November 2020 by scientists from the Gdansk University who found Covid 19 in minks at that time. Then, studied conducted by the State Veterinary Institute in Puławy did not confirmed this result. However, this year's new research leaves no room for doubt about the Covid-19 infection at this particular farm.
Therefore, in accordance with the decision of the Minister of Agriculture, all mink farms in Poland will be tested to find out about the scale of possible infections. After the first confirmation of infection it is expected that all farms should begin to apply increased principles of biosecurity, especially in terms of securing their employees.
What variant of SARS-CoV-2 was present at the farm in Pomorskie Region will be revealed after additional, specialized genetic tests conducted by by the State Veterinary Institute in Puławy . According to the current national regulations compensation for utilization of mink animals is not foreseen which is causing anger among fur farmers.
Poland is one of the largest fur producers in the world. After the decision in Denmark to eliminate the mink farms due to Covid-19, Poland is the largest fur producer in the EU and the second in the world, after China. In September 2020, 810 fur farms were active in Poland with the total number of 6,76 million animals.