Ireland’s mink population to be culled for being perfectly healthy.

drunkmonkey

Why are we killing all the Mink, surely they need another mink from a different country to infect them or are humans passing it to animals and then the mink are passing it back?
If we're not importing foreign mink I don't see why they all need to die.
https://m.independent.ie/business/farming/news/farming-news/irelands-mink-population-to-be-culled-amid-covid-19-fears-39766087.html

We need a bit of level headedness here as if it's in mink it's probably in a lot more animals we don't know of yet.
Seems like another knee jerk reaction.

Thelonious Monk

Hate to break it to you but they're all going to die anyway

drunkmonkey

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Hate to break it to you but they're all going to die anyway

So are we, should we start clubbing the symptomatic.

Thelonious Monk

drunkmonkey wrote: »

So are we, should we start clubbing the symptomatic.

They're being bred in tiny cages to be gassed to death. They're better off dead and hopefully they never farm them in Ireland again. It's shameful.

Uncle Pierre

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Hate to break it to you but they're all going to die anyway

Very true. They're bred just to be killed, and there was an announcement some time back that all fur farming (i.e. mink farming) in Ireland is to be phased out over the coming years anyway. This just hastens the process.

Mink are absolute b**tards of animals. They kill just for the sake of it and even cats and smaller dogs aren't safe. I remember the damage done by some of them after they escaped from a place near where I grew up, back when mink farming first became "a thing" around late 1970s/early 1980s.

Not too many will be sorry to see the back of them.

dodderangler

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Why are we killing all the Mink, surely they need another mink from a different country to infect them or are humans passing it to animals and then the mink are passing it back?
If we're not importing foreign mink I don't see why they all need to die.
https://m.independent.ie/business/farming/news/farming-news/irelands-mink-population-to-be-culled-amid-covid-19-fears-39766087.html

We need a bit of level headedness here as if it's in mink it's probably in a lot more animals we don't know of yet.
Seems like another knee jerk reaction.

Eh because theyre invasive and the do gooders released a predator not native to ireland and our own native animals have no defence against them.
Simple as. Its not their fault that they're predators but they do more damage than cats and foxes combined.
So yes put a bounty on them. Simple as. And if you want to blame anyone blame the animals rights that broke in and released the hundreds of them

Thelonious Monk

dodderangler wrote: »

Eh because theyre invasive and the do gooders released a predator not native to ireland and our own native animals have no defence against them.
Simple as. Its not their fault that they're predators but they do more damage than cats and foxes combined.
So yes put a bounty on them. Simple as. And if you want to blame anyone blame the animals rights that broke in and released the hundreds of them

I think the people farming millions of them in horrible conditions are culpable too to be fair. This kind of farming is a breeding ground for all kinds of disease. It should not have been happening in the first place.

Halenvaneddie

Jobs for nobody fur coats for everyone

drunkmonkey

Your all mentioning it's ok to kill them as there little feckers which is fair enough.
We're not killing them for that reason though it's a fear of them getting Covid.

My point is where are they meant to get the covid from and why is it only mink that can get it, what makes these unique?

DaSilva

Drunkmonkey, they can catch it from people, how do you think the mink in Denmark got infected?

banie01

As others have said they are bred to be killed.
They are a non-native aggressively predatory species that inflict huge damage thanks to "releases" of some of them over the years.

As for clubbing them to death? The 30k plus mink that are in Irish farms will be gassed.
They aren't leaving the local problem kid in to engage in a little bit of bloodlust

Farming and the relationship of humans and animals is the source of both much of humanities pathogenic enemies aswell as our vast range of immunity.

Leaving the mink farms active, gives a Petri dish to the virus. It has already been shown to have an accelerated effect on Covid mutations.

Some great academic work on these topics but the 1st few chapters of Guns, Germs and Steel is a great starting point.

Uncle Pierre

I think the mink in Denmark are believed to have caught it from infected people? Don't know what makes them more susceptible to it than any other animals that infected people may also have been in contact with.

froog

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Your all mentioning it's ok to kill them as there little feckers which is fair enough.
We're not killing them for that reason though it's a fear of them getting Covid.

My point is where are they meant to get the covid from and why is it only mink that can get it, what makes these unique?

Mink to human transmission of a mutant strain that is more resistant to antibodies has been proven. It's an extremely dangerous situation.

Ending mink farming for good is a silver lining, the conditions are horrific. Check it out on youtube.

drunkmonkey

froog wrote: »

Mink to human transmission of a mutant strain that is more resistant to antibodies has been proven. It's an extremely dangerous situation.

Yea but where did the mink get it and why only mink. Something is missing from the story.

Cody montana

The fact we farm mink is disgraceful.

DaSilva

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Yea but where did the mink get it and why only mink. Something is missing from the story.

It's not only mink, its already thought to have come from bats and infected cats too. The only thing missing is what you keep ignoring everybody saying. The mink catch it from humans, and then a different mutant becomes the predominant variant between mink, and those mutants can infect us too

banie01

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Yea but where did the mink get it and why only mink. Something is missing from the story.

What other predatory mammal species are farmed in such high density in western Europe?
Similar to bat colonies, high population density of mammalian species often in proximity to their faeces allows virus to be swapped backwards and forwards at hugely accelerated rates.
Developing antibody resistance and evolving it's virulence and infectivity.

What other means of farming in Ireland offers similar conditions?

nedkelly123

who buys fur coats anymore ?. i find it disgusting that they are killed for vanity
spend all their lives in A4 page sized cages and then killed and peeled to make some dope a hat ..VOM

drunkmonkey

DaSilva wrote: »

It's not only mink, its already thought to have come from bats and infected cats too. The only thing missing is what you keep ignoring everybody saying. The mink catch it from humans, and then a different mutant becomes the predominant variant between mink, and those mutants can infect us too

and the cats are getting a free pass because?

Mitzy

nedkelly123 wrote: »

who buys fur coats anymore ?. i find it disgusting that they are killed for vanity
spend all their lives in A4 page sized cages and then killed and peeled to make some dope a hat ..VOM

Apparently they are not really used for fur coats anymore. They are used for false eyelashes. So next time some vegan is lecturing you about having a steak ask them what their false lashes are made from.

Thelonious Monk

Mitzy wrote: »

So next time some vegan is lecturing you about having a steak ask them what their false lashes are made from.

Because this happens all the time, ffs.

Cunning Stunt

Irish gvnt need to be careful.
The Danish gvnt here are in the middle of a s++tstorm now as they apparantly had no legal ground to demand the culling of healthy mink when they gave the orders. Minister for food&agriculture has lost his job now and others are still under question.

gozunda

banie01 wrote: »

What other predatory mammal species are farmed in such high density in western Europe?
Similar to bat colonies, high population density of mammalian species often in proximity to their faeces allows virus to be swapped backwards and forwards at hugely accelerated rates.
Developing antibody resistance and evolving it's virulence and infectivity.What other means of farming in Ireland offers similar conditions?

Minks as a species are apparently genetically predisposed with Covid to being infected etc.

As a rule we don't farm carnivorous animals for food primarily for these reasons.

Some people do eat bushmeat and other backstreet type foods but its the exception rather than the rule. And not just humans btw - most large predators tend to avoid eating other carnivores.

There had been some interesting research done on it.

https://phys.org/news/2017-12-carnivores-carnivore-carcasses-transmits-diseases.html

Richard Hillman

It's Hoolihan calling for the annihilation of the Mink. Dr Death. He probably wants to flood the market with Mink fur for cheaper Christmas presents. Although the heathen probably doesn't celebrate Christmas.

banie01

gozunda wrote: »

Minks as a pecies and apparently are genetically predisposed to being infected etc.

As a rule we don't farm carnivorous animals for food primarily for these reasons.


https://phys.org/news/2017-12-carnivores-carnivore-carcasses-transmits-diseases.html

100% agree, I'd pointed to some research on farming and the variety of pathogen humanity is exposed to in an earlier post.

Mink and other similar predators are almost ideal incubators for virus propagation and accelerated evolution.

My rhetoric was more to gain some insight from DM as to what other type of farming could result in the risk? i.e None

MrMusician18

I'm usually all for the restrictions but this does seem excessive. There is no evidence that the mutant strain or indeed any strain has reached Irish minks.

A more proportionate measure would be to biosecure the farms.

john9876

Any idea how many people are employed in the 3 mink farms?

Hoboo

Uncle Pierre wrote: »

Mink are absolute b**tards of animals. They kill just for the sake of it and even cats and smaller dogs aren't safe. .

The don't kill just for the sake of it, they kill to store for lean times. Same as foxes.

dodderangler

Hoboo wrote: »

The don't kill just for the sake of it, they kill to store for lean times. Same as foxes.

No they dont. Killin an entire chicken coop, eating heads and neck off some and legging it isn't a animal that stores food

eviltwin

drunkmonkey wrote: »

and the cats are getting a free pass because?

It would be impossible to cull cats, there is no way of knowing how many cats there are in the country or where they are. Pets tend not to be registered and have you an idea the number of feral cats out there?

3d4life

Richard Hillman wrote: »

It's Hoolihan calling for the annihilation of the Mink.. ......

RTE radio put this out followed by it was also in the

'Program for Government' :eek:


Anyway, there used to be a mink farm not far from me and I can confirm that escapees were total bast@rds and the very divil to get out of the place...

Uncle Pierre

dodderangler wrote: »

No they dont. Killin an entire chicken coop, eating heads and neck off some and legging it isn't a animal that stores food

Exactly. Mink will kill all round them when they get a chance. Put one of them in a hen house (I won't call it a chicken coop!) with 50 hens, and they'll kill all 50 of them. And they won't be dragging 49 of them away to put in the freezer.

breezy1985

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

They're being bred in tiny cages to be gassed to death. They're better off dead and hopefully they never farm them in Ireland again. It's shameful.

Was shocked it was still a thing. Even more shocked at the amount of them in Denmark

stephenjmcd

froog wrote: »

Mink to human transmission of a mutant strain that is more resistant to antibodies has been proven. It's an extremely dangerous situation.

That was the issue with cluster 5 only which was 12 cases. No cases registered since September and Denmark now view it as not an issue as its not detected since.

The other clusters of mutation have been viewed as not being an issue for vaccines.

Not getting into the whole thing around minks but Denmark took out a sledgehammer to the issue without the full facts.

Lots of commentary online from members of the scientific community surrounding mink and vaccine. Doesn't appear to be the issue it was a few weeks ago upon further research. Danish agriculture minister has resigned

3d4life

breezy1985 wrote: »

Was shocked it was still a thing. Even more shocked at the amount of them in Denmark

It was a big thing here in the 70's.


So no surprise its still a big thing in Denmark

Gael23

Uncle Pierre wrote: »

Very true. They're bred just to be killed, and there was an announcement some time back that all fur farming (i.e. mink farming) in Ireland is to be phased out over the coming years anyway. This just hastens the process.

Mink are absolute b**tards of animals. They kill just for the sake of it and even cats and smaller dogs aren't safe. I remember the damage done by some of them after they escaped from a place near where I grew up, back when mink farming first became "a thing" around late 1970s/early 1980s.

Not too many will be sorry to see the back of them.

So is the pig that the rashers you chomped on for breakfast come off.

Will be a tall order for vets to procure the lethal drugs needed

breezy1985

3d4life wrote: »

It was a big thing here in the 70's.


So no surprise its still a big thing in Denmark

I didn't realize people still wore mink things. I assume we don't eat them but who knows with a Tesco burger

Gael23

breezy1985 wrote: »

I didn't realize people still wore mink things. I assume we don't eat them but who knows with a Tesco burger

I’m only guessing the corpses go into Dog food

breezy1985

Gael23 wrote: »

I’m only guessing the corpses go into Dog food

They keep the mink bit quiet in those chicken & beef dog foods

Uncle Pierre

Gael23 wrote: »

So is the pig that the rashers you chomped on for breakfast come off.

I know. I'm from a farming background myself and am well used to the idea of certain animals being bred and reared for nothing other than being sent for slaughter. Not sure what your point is here.

Gael23 wrote: »

Will be a tall order for vets to procure the lethal drugs needed

I believe mink are usually gassed with carbon monoxide, so it wouldn't be a case of suddenly needing a massive number of lethal injections. I don't know much about the mechanics of these things, but I presume the same amount of gas would be as equally effective on large numbers of mink in a small space as it would be on a smaller number.

con___manx1

mink are an invasive species in Ireland. an animals wrights group released them from a fur farm years ago and now they can be found all over the country. they kill our native birds and fish.
well done to those idiots who released them.

breezy1985

con___manx1 wrote: »

mink are an invasive species in Ireland. an animals wrights group released them from a fur farm years ago and now they can be found all over the country. they kill our native birds and fish.
well done to those idiots who released them.

Damn imminkants

Gael23

breezy1985 wrote: »

They keep the mink bit quiet in those chicken & beef dog foods

When it says the meat includes 20% meat including 10% beef what’s the rest?

Thats me

Gael23 wrote: »

When it says the meat includes 20% meat including 10% beef what’s the rest?

I was always thinking it is human bodies whose were not claimed by their natives from morgue :pac:

Gael23

Uncle Pierre wrote: »

I know. I'm from a farming background myself and am well used to the idea of certain animals being bred and reared for nothing other than being sent for slaughter. Not sure what your point is here.

Do you feel any remorse when they go off in a truck oblivious to the fact they will soon meet their maker?

ZX7R

I find the mink thing very interesting
Many reasons, mostly because china is one of the world's largest exporters of mink fur and mink is also used as a food source there.
Secondly China is also one of the largest exporters of live mink for breeding purposes.
Next to mink casts are the most inflected animal a notable number of cats that were infected were found on mink farms.
My opinion only I reckon were looking at the mink as the crossover animal between bats and humans.

DaSilva

drunkmonkey wrote: »

and the cats are getting a free pass because?

I would guess its because they haven't been observed to host new mutations or transmit to humans. It would be much more politically challenging to propose culling cats also. I'm no expert on anything related to this though

I've heard that deer mice can also be hosts to SARS-CoV-2. I'd say a lot of animals are potential reservoirs for the virus but it might not be really feasible or have much of an impact to do anything about it. Maybe with mink the risk is high but its also feasible to reduce that risk

whisky_galore

Who the fcuk wears mink coats these days anyway? How is there demand for it?

Thats me

whisky_galore wrote: »

Who the fcuk wears mink coats these days anyway? How is there demand for it?

Why the fcuk not to wear mink coat if you have one?

ZX7R

DaSilva wrote: »

I would guess its because they haven't been observed to host new mutations or transmit to humans. It would be much more politically challenging to propose culling cats also. I'm no expert on anything related to this though

I've heard that deer mice can also be hosts to SARS-CoV-2. I'd say a lot of animals are potential reservoirs for the virus but it might not be really feasible or have much of an impact to do anything about it. Maybe with mink the risk is high but its also feasible to reduce that risk

Most online stuff about cats/ felines is they don't seem to shed the virus very much,and in all cases they cought the virus from human transmission or minks

whisky_galore

whisky_galore wrote: »

Who the fcuk wears mink coats these days anyway? How is there demand for it?

It's not just coats. Mink fur is used in beauty products like make up brushes and fake eyelashes.