Yet another mink farm infected with coronavirus; 12,000 animals to be culled
Mink on a mink farm in Gemert, Noord-Brabant, were found to be infected with the coronavirus. The 12 thousand mink on the farm will be culled on Monday, the Ministries of Public Health and Agriculture announced. That brings the total Dutch mink farms with coronavirus outbreaks to 20.
On Saturday, the coronavirus was found at another mink farm in Gemert with 7 thousand animals. And last week the same happened at a farm in Landhorst, also in Noord-Brabant. The animals at 18 of the 20 infected farms have already been culled. The two in Gemert will happen today.
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.
According to broadcaster NOS, the Netherlands counted 128 companies farming fur animals last year. In practice, these are mainly mink farms. Most breeding farms are in Noord-Brabant, with the municipality of Gemert-Bakel being known as the "mink capital".
