After a three-and-a-half-year investigation into illegal mink farming in Djursland, a decision has been reached regarding the criminal case. The prosecution authority has dropped charges against a 59-year-old man, while the decision regarding his 88-year-old father is still pending.

East Jutland Police confirmed that the prosecution authority determined there was insufficient evidence to pursue a case against the 59-year-old man. The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration initially reported the case to the police after discovering 119 illegal mink on a former mink farm in northeastern Djursland in February 2022.

The discovery occurred during a raid conducted with police assistance. Authorities were surprised to find live mink remaining in Denmark despite the ban on mink farming.

The ban, implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic and lasting until January 2023, aimed to prevent the virus from mutating within mink populations and potentially rendering vaccines ineffective.

The Djursland case was one of several involving illegal mink farming during the ban. The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration stated that the farmer in this case had refused to cull the animals, leading authorities to euthanize them.

The police investigation concluded in the spring of 2025, and the prosecution authority began assessing whether to bring criminal charges.

Two similar cases of illegal mink farming have already been resolved in the court system. In one case, the Western High Court sentenced a mink farmer to two months’ suspended imprisonment and fined his company DKK 100,000.

In another case, the Western High Court sentenced a mink farmer to two months’ suspended imprisonment and fined his company DKK 120,000 for illegally keeping 223 mink and 64 foxes. The Viborg District Court had initially imposed a three-month unconditional prison sentence and a fine of DKK 150,000 in that case.