Huge compensation for head of mink fur farmer union, run on investment funds, military in drone training and more news from Denmark this Tuesday.
Ex-leader of organisation for mink farmers gets millions in compensation payout
The former head of the national union for mink fur farmers, Tage Pedersen, is set to receive 400 million kroner in compensation for the euthanisation of his animals under a government order during the Covid-19 pandemic.
That makes Pedersen the biggest recipient of government compensation of any former mink fur farmer, newspaper Ekstra Bladet reports.
A government order was made to close down the mink farming industry and euthanise all minks in late 2020 due to concerns over a potential mutated Covid variant. The variant was later found to be less dangerous than initially thought, while the order made to put down the minks was unlawful.
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A compensation package was later agreed between the government and mink farmers, costing the Danish state a total of 29.5 billion kroner including the cost of demolishing former mink farms. The figure is the largest compensation cost in the country’s history.
Many of the companies which received compensation were making large losses in the years prior to their closure.
Danish investment funds in popularity hop
September set a record for purchases of Danish investment funds, media Finans Denmark reports.
Figures published by the media show that some 8 billion kroner was spent buying shares in Danish investment funds in September, bringing the total for the year so far to a record 82 billion kroner.
Three-quarters of the investments were made in funds that buy global equities. Although most Danish investment funds have generated positive returns, those investing exclusively in Danish equities have struggled.
Difficulties for the Danish equities are related to declining share prices at Novo Nordisk and Ørsted, which make up a major proportion of Denmark’s C25 index.
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Military starts new drone training
New training of defensive and offensive use of attack drones has commenced in the Danish military, broadcaster DR reports.
The training is the first step towards a full programme in drone combat which will be implemented across the military, according to DR.
A Danish battalion has been sent to Latvia to undergo the training, which Lieutenant Colonel Jimmi Holst said “gives us a new tool in our toolbox that we haven’t had before.”
Police to stop using social media platform X
Local and national police forces in Denmark are to issue “operational messages” via news wire service Ritzau and on their own websites as part of a transition away from social media X.
Danish police currently used social media X, formerly known as Twitter, to issue short statements and updates about ongoing police activity.
But the National Police has previously stated its intention to move away from X and use its own platforms for operative messaging.