Coronavirus infections at another four mink farms

Animals at another four mink farms in Noord-Brabant and Limburg were found to have the coronavirus, Minister Carola Schouten of Agriculture said in a letter to parliament. The mink on the farms will be culled and destroyed, NOS reports.

The farms involved are located in Landhorst in the municipality of Sint Anthonis, in Volkel and in Casternay. In total, the coronavirus was found at 13 farms in the Netherlands. Three of the four new outbreaks were identified by investigating mink carcasses - breeders are obliged to send carcasses in for this investigation weekly. The fourth was identified after a report.

There have also been a handful of cases of mink farm workers getting the coronavirus from the animals. 

The NVWA started culling the animals at the infected mink farms last week. The authority can do to or three companies per day. The mink on the newly infected farms will be killed this week.

The source of the new infections is not yet known, Schouten said. The authority on consumer product safety and food quality NVWA is investigating. Employees can be tested for the virus.