For the first time, a bird flu infection has been found on a mink farm in central Finland. To prevent the spread of the infection, orders have been given to kill all mink on the farm. It is not yet known how the infectious disease spread to mink farming.
In July and August, bird flu infections had already been detected at 27 other fur farms in other regions in Finland, prompting a national investigation. The results are expected next week.
“The case shows that the risk of bird flu infections is not over and that it is necessary to continue protective measures in fur farms,” the Finnish Food Agency said.
The Baltic Sea Republic Lithuania last week finally decided to stop fur farming. Lithuania is therefore the twentieth country to ban fur farming. The law affects approximately one million animals per year.
The forty mink farms and thirty chinchilla farms must cease their activities by 2027. Before the ban, Lithuania was one of the major remaining fur-producing countries in Europe.
The other Baltic Sea countries Estonia and Latvia have previously banned fur farming, as have Denmark and the Netherlands.