Lithuania: COVID-19 Outbreak on Lithuanian Mink Farm
Link to report:
On November 26, 2020, the Lithuanian State Food and Veterinary Service (SFVS) announced an outbreak of COVID-19 among mink on a farm in Central Lithuania’s Jonava District. The farm’s production capacity is 100,000 mink, but due to the current seasonal pelt harvest, only about 60,000 animals remain on the farm. The SFVS prohibited any removal of animals, feed, or other animal products from the infected farm. Mink kept in 22 infected cages were culled and their carcasses were rendered in a local rendering plant. SFVS authorities reported the outbreak of COVID-19 in mink to World Health Organization (WHO) and notified the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). The SFVS does not currently plan to follow the Danish model of culling Lithuania’s entire mink population following the COVID outbreak.
