"I have no problem apologizing for the incident, because mistakes have been made," Frederiksen told broadcaster TV2.
Looking emotional, Frederiksen paused several times for tears. He stressed that it was not the fault of the breeders. Frederiksen visited a mink farmer in Kolding, who was injected even though he died healthy. It was only recently discovered that the government did not have the legal authority to do so.
In early November, Denmark, the world's largest exporter of mink, announced it would destroy more than 15 million minks in the country after a mutated version of the virus was discovered that would reportedly weaken the vaccine's effectiveness. "It's because of the corona, and hope it can be a little light in the dark at this time for Danish mink breeders," he said.
However, a few days later the government said it did not have a sufficient legal basis to order the action.
Following Jensen's resignation, the Ministry of Health concluded that the potential threat to human vaccines was very likely to be eliminated, in the absence of new cases of the mutated version. Agriculture Minister Mogens Jensen apologized and finally resigned last week.
