In some countries in Europe, including neighboring Lithuania, mink have been found to be infected with the coronavirus and, although no such cases have been reported in Latvia, mink breeders are strictly cautious. , reports TV3 news.
Of the nine mink farms in Latvia, seven are currently operating. According to TV3 News, the Latvian Association of Animal Breeders has introduced increased biosecurity requirements in nurseries already in the spring. Consequently, as a result of recent events in Denmark, Poland and neighboring Lithuania, where mink have been found to be infected with the coronavirus, no significant changes have been made.
“Currently, we have no third party unauthorized on the farm. All staff have been tested and, if there is any suspicion, GPs will refer the test. Because we are aware that such a thing is. And that is why the primary and main thing for us now is to protect our farms. (..) There is no other way than to get this virus from a person, ”it states.
Kristīne Lamberga, the director of the FVS Veterinary Surveillance Department, points out that it is on the conscience of every farm worker how carefully he observes the Covid-19 safety measures. In any case, information is provided on how the mink is to be protected and what measures are to be taken. ” I can confirm this on the part of our employees who go to inspections, but it is not such a classic regulation, this biosecurity in mink farms from Covid-19, ”she explains.
In general, the FVS’s observations show that farm owners follow the instructions. What is the further chain, in their own right. At the same time, the Scientific Institute for Food Safety, Animal Health and the Environment (BIOR) has started to study samples of animal waste water to make sure that the virus is not present.
The BIOR started testing wastewater and other materials about a week ago and they have been negative. But overall, the whole process is still going on and the results will follow.
The Institute points out that so far the services in Europe have not used such an approach, it is a new approach. BIOR has tried to do this in a similar way to cities. “We put forward the same approach and tried to apply it to fur farms. This means that in a holding with sewage and faeces, we look for anything that could indicate the presence of the virus in that holding,” says the scientific institute. BIOR ”director Aivars Bērziņš.
BIOR allows the research to be carried out with the funding received in the state program in cooperation with Riga Technical University and the Biomedical Research Center.
“Of course, we can’t tell right away whether it’s animal or human, but it’s very important – if we find this virus, you can compare it to isolates. This principle was also present in Denmark, where it was seen that there were mutations and the virus was transmitted from the mink to humans, ”explains the director of the institute.
All mink farmed in Denmark have been destroyed following infections. As a result of the dissatisfaction of the farm owners, the state minister of agriculture was forced to resign.
If the infection is detected in Latvia, the decision of the FVS is left to the government. However, it is assumed that the case on one farm is unlikely to cover the whole country.
“The density of mink farms in Latvia is lower than in Denmark. Because I think we have lower risk aspects that need to be taken into account, ”admits Kristīne Lamberga, Director of the FVS Veterinary Surveillance Department.
The main factor that makes mink particularly vulnerable to coronavirus is the fact that the virus can mutate in these animals, which jeopardizes the effectiveness of vaccines.
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