Ghost farms: the mink sheds abandoned to the pandemic

More than 1,000 mink farms in Denmark were ordered to close over fears a Covid mutation was a risk to human health. Two years on, most will never reopenPhotographs by Agata Lenczewska-Madsen. Words by Tom LevittThe farm is quiet. Martin Merrild is sweeping leaves. Behind him is a row of 20 large sheds - all empty. Two years ago, his farm near Hjerm in West Jutland had been home to 15,000 mink, a small carnivorous mammal bred by farmers in individual cages before being skinned for its fur.Since he started mink farming almost 40 years ago, Merrild's life had revolved around a yearly cycle. It would start with a smaller population of female and male mink. In early March, the females would be ready for breeding and Merrild and his staff would have just a few weeks to ensure they got a mate. From late April, mink the size of a thumb would be born.Martin Merrild has been farming mink since the 1980s, until an outbreak of Covid in 2020 saw his entire herd culled. He hasn't reared a mink since Continue reading...