Agriculture ministry left health warning out of mink-farming proposal

Finland’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry omitted a public health warning from a letter to parliament seeking support for continued mink farming, Yle reports. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health had described the practice as a significant health risk.

The agriculture ministry is applying to the European Union for an exemption allowing mink farming to continue after the EU ban takes effect in August 2027. The EU added mink to its list of invasive alien species, under which farming is due to end unless an exemption is granted.

The health ministry strongly opposed seeking an exemption. It cited the avian influenza outbreak in summer 2023, when H5N1 viruses isolated from mink showed genetic changes that could make transmission to other mammals, possibly including humans, easier.

The health ministry also said the outbreak had cost the state more than the fur industry’s total revenue at the time. The agriculture ministry included that point in its letter to parliament, but left out the health warning. Fur farmers received more than 43 million euros in compensation for lost production and animals that were culled.

The agriculture ministry told Yle that ministries’ positions are reconciled during committee discussions, and that the responsible ministry determines the final position and wording. The health ministry’s concerns were recorded in the minutes of an EU affairs committee, but were not included in the letter to parliament, according to public documents obtained by the Animal Rights Academy association and verified by Yle.

Parliamentary committees unanimously supported adding mink to the invasive species list because of the damage it causes to biodiversity. However, applying for an exemption to continue farming divided lawmakers. Representatives of the Social Democrats, Greens and Left Alliance filed dissenting opinions, citing risks to society and human health from mink farming, including those demonstrated by coronavirus and avian influenza.

Finland has just over 100 mink farms, most of them in four Ostrobothnian provinces. Mink have spread into the Finnish wild from fur farms. If the European Commission approves the exemption, each farm will still need a national permit. Finland received a similar exemption in 2018 after the EU listed raccoon dogs as an invasive alien species.