TESTING BY THE HSE of all workers at mink farms and their families has identified no positive Covid-19 cases.

Following the discovery of a new strain of the coronavirus in minks in Denmark earlier this month, the Irish government put in place a number of precautionary measures, including asking anyone arriving into Ireland from Denmark to restrict their movements for 14 days.

Testing of all minks at the three minks farms in Ireland was commenced by the Department of Agriculture and the HSE last week began serial testing of all workers at the farms and their families.

HSE CEO Paul Reid today said all workers and their families have now been tested and none of them tested positive for the virus.

Earlier the Department of Agriculture said testing of the mink herd in Ireland also detected no positive results to date.

However the government has made a decision, based on advice from the Chief Medical Officer, to order the cull of all minks in the country. 

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Mink owners will be compensated in the short-term, but they will not be able to replace the animals, it is understood. The owners will receive a wider compensation package in the future.