Hungary Bans Mink Fur Farming to Prevent The Spread of Coronavirus

In November, Hungary announced a ban on fur farming of minks, foxes, polecats, ferrets, and coypu after minks tested positive for coronavirus in fur farms across the US, the Netherlands, Denmark, Italy, France, Spain, Greece, and Sweden. It was reported that the animals caused a coronavirus mutation and infected workers. As a result, minks had to undergo mass culling to control the outbreak.

Hungary currently does not farm any of the above-mentioned animals for fur but has announced the ban to prevent fur farms from outside moving into the country.

Dr. Joanna Swabe, the Senior Director of Public Affairs of Humane Society International/Europe commented on the Hungarian government’s measure in a press release: “This ban is more than just symbol politics. There is a very real and present danger that fur farmers from elsewhere in Europe may attempt to move their operations to Hungary and set up shop there.”

However, Swabe highlighted that chinchillas are farmed for their fur in Hungary and are not included in the ban, even though chinchilla fur farms also present a threat of future zoonotic diseases which can public health.

The news of the coronavirus outbreak in minks was initially received from countries with large mink farms, including the Netherlands and Denmark. The Dutch farms killed over a million minks after the infection spread to the workers.

Denmark is one of the largest producers of mink fur globally and was marked to kill 15 million minks after reports of the outbreak. A court order was issued to not go through with the mass cull, and the country is set to close its biggest fur auction house called Kopenhagen Fur within the next two to three years.

France banned mink fur farms in September, and the Dutch government announced that they will close all their mink farms by 2021. Many other countries across Europe, including Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Norway, and Belgium have also banned or are in the course of banning fur farming.