Did not know about lack of legal authority
There was a lack of authority to kill the many millions of minks when the Prime Minister announced in November last year that the animals had to die due to a coronary mutation.
The first infection of mink in Denmark was made in a herd in North Jutland in June last year.
But according to Frederiksen, it is not her responsibility, even though she is head of government. She did not know about the lack of authority when she made decisions, she says.
– I have not had any desire or need to cover anything, she stated at a press conference on Wednesday night.
Mutations
The approximately 15 million minks were killed after a corona mutation – cluster-5 – was found among the animals.
The fear was that future vaccines would not be as effective against the mutation as the original virus.
The case of lack of legal basis ended up costing Mogens Jensen (S) the job. He was Minister for Food, Fisheries and Gender Equality and Minister for Nordic Cooperation.
Text messages
The case has put Frederiksen under strong pressure in Denmark. On Tuesday this week, it became known that phones and iPads from both the Prime Minister’s office and the Ministry of Justice will be given to the police in the mink case.
They will try to recreate deleted text messages from the period when the government decided without authority to kill all mink in Denmark.
– It is expected that there will be a response from police technicians before the end of next week, writes the Ministry of Justice.
– Hardly sets me apart
At the press conference on Wednesday evening at Frederiksen, she has not found a basis for recording text messages.
“In that area, I differ from other ministers or previous governments,” she said.
It also emerged that the head of department at the Prime Minister’s office, Barbara Bertelsen, advised Mette Frederiksen to delete text messages after 30 days.
The function was switched on last summer, according to the Prime Minister’s office.