G/TBT/N/DNK/104  
11 November 2020  
(20-8071) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original:  English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member:  DENMARK   
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible:   
Ministry of Environment and Food of Denmark  
Slotsholmsgade 12, DK -1216 Copenhagen K  
Tel.: +45 38 14 21 42  
E-mail: mfvm@mfvm.dk  
Website address: https://en.mfvm.dk/   
Name and address (including tel ephone and fax numbers , email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:   
Ministry of Environment and Food of Denmark  
Slotsholmsgade 12, D K-1216 Copenhagen K  
Tel.: +45 38 14 21 42  
E-mail: mfvm@mfvm.dk  
Website address: https://en.mfvm.dk/  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [   ], 2.10.1 [X], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other :  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  The draft 
law concerns the culling of mink and a temporary ban on keeping mink.; LIVE ANIMALS 
(HS 01);  Animal husbandry and breeding (ICS 65.020.30)  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  "Forslag til Lov 
om aflivning af og midlertidigt forbud mod hold af mink" Draft Law on Culling of mink and 
Temporary Ban on Keeping Mink (23  page(s), in Danish)  
6. Description of content:  The law draft concerns a new law that determines a temporary 
ban on keeping mink, including requirements for the culling of all mink, which is not 
included in restrictions of other legislation.  
7. Objective  and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable:  The purpose of the law is to prevent the spread of COVID -19 among mink in 
the sake of public health. In mid -June, the first mink farms in North Jutland were found 
infected with COVID -19, and the virus has since spread to over 200 farms across Jutland, 
and on the recommendation of the veterinary and health authorities, the government 
decided on 1 October 2020 to cull all infected crews as well as crews within a radius of 
7.8 kilometers . The health authorities assess that continued mink breeding during an 
ongoing COVID -19 epidemic entails a significant risk to public health, including the 
possibilities for preventing COVID -19 with vaccines. This is stated in the Statens Serum 
Institut's risk assessment of 3 November 2020 of human health with continued mink 
breeding. It also appears that continued mink breeding during the epidemic entails a G/TBT/N/DNK/104  
 
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  significant risk of recurrence of the spread of infection among mink and humans as in 
Western Denmar k 2020.  Statens Serum Institut assesses that this entails a great risk to 
public health, both by leading to greater disease burden among humans, and by the fact 
that a large virus reservoir in mink increases the risk of new viral mutations that vaccines 
do not provide optimal protection against. Statens Serum Institut assesses that the flock 
immunity obtained through vaccination or by the infection being over may, overall, be 
weakened or absent, and that it must also be expected to lead to a significant 
deterioration in the possibilities for maintaining epidemic control in Denmark. According 
to the risk assessment, Statens Serum Institut has detected a mutation, cluster 5, which 
preliminary laboratory studies indicate has reduced sensitivity to neutralizing  antibodies. 
There is a risk that a new mutation has arisen against which current vaccine candidates 
do not provide optimal protection. On this basis, it is proposed that all mink on Danish 
mink farms must be culled (incl. breeding animals), and the produc tion must be stopped, 
including reinstatement of new mink, until the 31 December 2021. The Danish 
government wants to use the urgent procedure due to the serious and unpredictable 
situation that the COVID -19 pandemic poses to human health. The government d ecided 
on 3 November 2020 that all mink in Denmark must be culled as soon as possible for the 
sake of public health. The decision was made after the health authorities submitted a risk 
assessment, which underlined that the presence of mink in Denmark in it self constitutes 
a risk to public health and the effect of future vaccines against COVID -19 in the current 
situation.; Protection of human health or safety  
8. Relevant documents:   
The draft law.  
9. Proposed date of adoption:  November 2020  
Proposed date of entry into force:  1 December 2020  
10. Final date for comments:  27 November 2020  
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [X] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available , of other body:   
Danish Standards  
Göteborg Plads 1  
Nordhavn  
DK-2150  
+ (45) 39 96 61 40  
+ (45) 39 96 61 01 (Fax)  
wto@ds.dk  
http://www.ds.dk