Coronavirus found at another mink farm; animals culled

Another Dutch mink farm has been found to be contaminated with the coronavirus. The mink at the breeding farm in the Noord-Brabant town of Landhorst will be culled as soon as possible. This is the 18th mink farm to be infected with the coronavirus, NOS reports.

The mink on the other 17 farms have already been culled. Responsible Ministers Hugo de Jonge of Public Health and Carola Schouten of Agriculture decided that all animals on infected farms had to be killed, because there have been cases of mink-to-human transmission. 

The Ministers also implemented a national ban on transporting mink. No visitors are allowed in the stables, and strict hygiene protocols were implemented. The cabinet is also working on a scheme to help mink farmers voluntarily terminate their business. 

Mink farming will be illegal in the Netherlands from 2024. The Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, would prefer to get rid of mink companies completely by the end of this year. The government said it would investigate whether this is possible.