MP’s unanimously approve early ban on mink farming

The Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, unanimously approved a proposal to accelerate the ban on mink farming in the Netherlands, ANP reports.

The parliamentarians worry that this type of fur farming poses a risk to public health as the coronavirus can be transmitted between humans and minks, and the virus has been found on dozens of mink farms since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Minister Carola Schouten of Agriculture said earlier in the week that she does not think it is necessary to accelerate the ban on fur farming, which had already been brought forward from 2024 to the spring of 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

According to her, only four mink farms are still active in the country. The others already opted to pelt their breeding animals - kill them for their fur - in anticipation of the upcoming ban. She expects that the last minks will be pelted by the end of next week.

The Tweede Kamer also passed a motion asking the government to pay mink farmers an advance on the bridging compensation they'll receive within the next two weeks.