All animals to be culled at fur farms with bird flu infections

Last month the Finnish Food Authority ordered all minks to be put down at fur farms with diagnosed avian influenza infections. Now the order has been expanded to cover all animals at such farms.

The Finnish Food Authority on Wednesday ordered all foxes and raccoons to be killed at fur farms where bird flu infections have been found. The new termination decision affects approximately 115,000 animals.

That follows previous agency orders last month to cull around 135,000 animals, including 50,000 minks, 79,000 foxes and 6,000 raccoons at farms with diagnosed avian influenza infections.

The orders are intended to protect human health, amid concerns that bird flu could be transmitted to people via fur animals.

The agency’s latest order affects approximately 115,000 animals, including 109,000 foxes and 6,000 raccoons.

Farm inspections still underway

Bird flu infections have been confirmed so far at 26 fur farms in Ostrobothnia, western Finland. So far 11 of these sites have faced orders to kill all animals, while five received partial cull orders. Now all the remaining animals in these farms are ordered to be euthanised.

Termination decisions concerning foxes and raccoons were previously made on a case-by-case basis, depending on the extent of infection symptoms at each farm.

Farm inspections are still ongoing.

Last week a citizens’ initiative calling for a ban on fur farming was sent to Parliament after quickly gathering more than 50,000 signatures.