When a highly transmissible, mutated strain of COVID-19 was found in Danish fur farms, the government called for the immediate slaughter of the country’s 17 million mink. In the wake of this swift cull, many are beginning to question the relevance of the fur industry.

At the start of November, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen ordered the immediate killing of the country’s entire mink population.

The reason for this drastic order was the emergence of a mutated form of the coronavirus. Although scientists have tracked numerous mutations, the particular variant found in the mink was determined to hinder “the effectiveness of future vaccines.” Twelve people from Denmark’s North Jutland region were infected with the new strain, which sparked the government’s swift response.

Denmark is Europe’s largest exporter of mink pelts, with roughly 1,000 mink farms scattered about the country. Even if farms are not within the infection zones, owners still must cull their herds. This extremely broad measure has been financially damaging to a significant number of family businesses in the country. Since the 1920s, the Danish mink industry has been unrivaled for its quality and longevity. The effects of the cull would be nearly irreversible. Already, Danish company Kopenhagen Fur—the world’s largest auction house for furs—announced its plans to downsize and close operations within the next two to three years.

Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Mogens Jensen later admitted that the government had erred, saying that “there is no legal authority to ask mink breeders to slaughter their mink outside the zones that have been made.” On Nov. 18, Jensen resigned after increased backlash from the Danish people and those within his own party.  

Despite the well-meaning orders to prevent another potentially deadly spread, the government’s sudden request found mink farmers unprepared and overwhelmed. Peder Elbek Pedersen, veterinarian and mink specialist for a Danish veterinary association, was tasked at short notice with training and certifying farmers in humane slaughter. Nevertheless, disturbing videos emerged of mink crowded into killing boxes and gassed insufficiently. Pedersen also shared that one mink farmer attempted suicide in the wake of this mass slaughter. “These are farms that are passed on from father to son,” he said. “Kids start learning how to raise the animals when they’re 13. Mink farming is their whole identity.”

As the coronavirus continues to take its toll, many are starting to question the role of fur in fashion. Even before the pandemic, fur consumption was dropping. High-profile brands like Prada, Burberry and Armani openly pledged to stop using the pelts of mink, rabbits and foxes, then halted the production of anything made from exotic animal skins. Between 2015 and 2018, global fur sales fell from $40 billion to $33 billion. Despite this decline, the fur industry still retains its profits by lining other obscure cuts like trims and hoods.

With calls for ethical production, alternatives like synthetic furs are fast outpacing the sales of real fur items. Options like vegan leather and faux fur can aid the cause of animal rights activists hoping to end the practice of fur farms. As the consequences of the pandemic takes its toll, perhaps the fur industry is finally on its last legs.

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Rhiannon earned her B.A. in Urban Studies & Planning from UC San Diego. Her honors thesis was a speculative fiction piece exploring the aspects of surveillance technology, climate change, and the future of urbanized humanity. She is committed to expanding the stories we tell.