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www.bbc.com
Denmark to cull up to 17 million mink amid coronavirus fears
Cases of a mutated strain of Covid-19 have been detected that may undermine future vaccines.
International
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the mutated virus posed a "risk to the effectiveness" of a future Covid-19 vaccine.
Denmark is the world's biggest producer of mink fur and its main export markets are China and Hong Kong.
The culling began late last month, after many mink cases were detected.
Coronavirus cases have also been detected in farmed mink in the Netherlands and Spain since the pandemic began in Europe.
But cases are spreading fast in Denmark - 207 mink farms in Jutland are affected - and at least five cases of the new virus strain were found. Twelve people had become infected, the authorities said.
Prime Minister Frederiksen described the situation as "very, very serious". Danish police and army personnel will help to carry out the mass cull.
Ms Frederiksen cited a government report which said the mutated virus had been found to weaken the body's ability to form antibodies, potentially making the current vaccines under development for Covid-19 ineffective.
"We have a great responsibility towards our own population, but with the mutation that has now been found, we have an even greater responsibility for the rest of the world as well," she told a news conference.
Since the start of the pandemic Denmark has reported 52,265 human cases of Covid-19 and 733 deaths, data from Johns Hopkins University shows.