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🇮🇸 Iceland /Conflict & Security

Thousands of mink escape Icelandic farm after break-in; owner calls it 'terrorism'

From Morgunblaðið · () Icelandic

Translated from Icelandic, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • Thousands of mink escaped from Dalsbú, Iceland's last mink farm, after an overnight break-in, causing immense damage.
  • The farm owner described the incident as "terrorism" and expressed concern for the welfare of the escaped animals and the future of his livelihood.
  • This is the third such incident targeting farms in Iceland since May, raising fears among farmers about escalating animal rights activism.

The owner of Dalsbú, Iceland's final mink farm located in Mosfellsdalur, is facing catastrophic losses after thousands of mink were released during an overnight break-in. Ásgeir Pétursson, who has operated the farm since 1986, discovered mink in his yard upon waking and found his farm's passageway completely overrun.

The damage is immense, that's all I can say.

— Ásgeir PéturssonDescribing the financial and operational impact of the mink escape.

"The damage is immense, that's all I can say," Pétursson stated, explaining the difficulty in assessing the full extent of the loss. He noted that the escaped mink now pose a problem as they are indistinguishable from his remaining stock, making it impossible to identify which animals are suitable for breeding. The incident has left him unable to determine which of his animals are valuable.

Our problem this fall is that we have lost our live animals. We no longer know which of our live animals are good and which are not good.

— Ásgeir PéturssonExplaining the difficulty in assessing the farm's losses and future viability.

Pétursson described the act as "terrorism," particularly targeting the animals themselves, who he believes are suffering as a result. He suspects multiple individuals were involved in the break-in, which he estimates took less than two hours. The perpetrators reportedly used lamps to obscure their faces, making identification difficult even with cameras.

I think farmers everywhere should be worried about this happening to them. These individuals do not differentiate whether you have sheep, cows, horses, or something else. These animal welfare organizations have turned into terrorist organizations.

— Ásgeir PéturssonExpressing concern about the escalating actions of animal rights activists.

This incident marks the third such attack on Icelandic farms since May, following break-ins at a pig farm and a poultry farm. Farmers are increasingly worried about this trend, with Pétursson warning that activists do not differentiate between types of farms. He fears that animal rights organizations have transformed into "terrorist organizations."

There is only one word for this, it is terrorism. This is especially terrorism against the animals; they suffer because of it.

— Ásgeir PéturssonCharacterizing the break-in and mink release.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Morgunblaðið in Icelandic. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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