Police and the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration conducted a supervisory visit to a mink farm in West Jutland on Wednesday following reports of Animal Welfare Act violations. The investigation was triggered by a report filed against two mink farmers, alleged to be among the country’s largest holders of breeding animals.

The Central and West Jutland Police, led by Police Commissioner Mikael Gudiksen, have not released any information regarding the results of the Wednesday visit, citing the ongoing investigation.

The animal welfare organization OASA claims to possess photographic and video evidence from the farm depicting dead mink in cages and mink suffering from open sores. The organization says the images were taken by anonymous individuals who trespassed on the property. According to the police commissioner, the report itself is the primary reason for the investigation, but visual evidence helps contextualize the written report.

Jesper Søndergaard, one of the mink farmers reported, confirmed that his mother, who operates a separate mink business on the same farm, is the other individual named in the report. Søndergaard denies that the pictures and videos originated from his farm.

Søndergaard suggested that the images may be from another farm and noted that the electric fence on his property had been damaged. He stated that the supervisory visit lasted eight hours, during which each of the 31,500 mink on the farm was thoroughly examined. He said he awaits a formal report from the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration and the police. Søndergaard also raised the possibility that the images have been generated using artificial intelligence.

According to Søndergaard, less than a handful of mink needed to be culled as a result of the inspection. Ritzau has been unable to independently verify this claim. Søndergaard said he and his mother have not been charged in the case.