Finland, the largest producer of fox fur in Europe, has ordered the culling of more than 100,000 farmed foxes and minks after detecting bird flu infections in the country’s fur farms. The authorities said the measure was necessary to prevent the spread of the virus among animals and humans.
Bird flu detected in seagulls and fur animals
The Finnish Food Authority (FFA) said that the H5N1 bird flu outbreaks were first reported in seagulls in June and then in fur farm animals in July. The FFA’s head of the virology unit, Tuija Gadd, told AFP that a culling order had been issued for 13 farms and that 10 farms had already completed the process.
According to the FFA, there are around 400 fur farms in Finland with an estimated 1.3 million fur animals, mainly foxes and minks. Finland is the leading producer of certified fox fur in Europe, with nearly a million pelts produced annually.
The FFA said that the culling of the infected animals was done in accordance with the animal welfare and biosecurity regulations. The carcasses of the culled animals were transported to a disposal facility for incineration.
Bird flu poses a threat to human health
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned in July that the surge in bird flu outbreaks among mammals could help the virus to spread more easily among humans. The WHO said that although human infections with avian influenza viruses are rare, they can cause severe disease and death.
The WHO also said that there was no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission of bird flu viruses, but that the risk of such transmission could increase if the viruses adapted to mammals. The WHO urged countries to strengthen their surveillance and prevention measures against bird flu outbreaks.
The FFA said that no human cases of bird flu had been reported in Finland so far, but that people who had been in contact with the infected animals were being monitored for symptoms. The FFA also advised people to avoid contact with wild birds and their droppings and to report any sick or dead birds to the authorities.
Bird flu sparks calls for banning fur industry
The bird flu outbreaks have reinvigorated calls to ban the fur industry in Finland, which has been criticized by animal rights activists for its cruelty and environmental impact. Several European countries, such as France, the Netherlands and Estonia, have introduced new bans on fur farming amid the Covid-19 pandemic, while Denmark ordered a cull of its entire farmed mink population after Covid outbreaks.
A petition launched by Animalia, a Finnish animal welfare organization, has gathered over 70,000 signatures demanding a ban on fur farming in Finland by 2025. The petition argues that fur farming is unethical, unsustainable and poses a public health risk.
However, the Finnish Fur Breeders’ Association (FFBA) has defended the industry, saying that it provides jobs and income for rural areas and that it follows high standards of animal welfare and biosecurity. The FFBA also said that fur farming was not a source of Covid-19 or bird flu infections, but rather a victim of them.
Gadd said that she believed that the outbreaks on fur farms seemed to be “calming down”, as seagulls were already starting their migration south. She said that the FFA would continue to monitor the situation and take necessary actions to protect animal and human health.
