All mink companies infected with the coronavirus in our province have been culled. This is announced by a spokesperson for the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority on Friday morning. This concerns a total of eleven companies in East Brabant. The first company was cleared on Saturday in Deurne. For the time being, it will be the turn of a company in Castenray in Limburg for the time being.
In North Limburg, corona infections have also been discovered so far at two mink farms. This brings the total number of infected mink farms in the Netherlands to thirteen.
–
The eleven Brabant companies are spread over the following locations: Milheeze (2), De Mortel (1), Beek en Donk (1), Deurne (1), Landhorst (4), Gemert (1) and Volkel (1).
–
Clearing started on Saturday
The clearing of mink farms where the coronavirus is prevalent started on Saturday at the Huub Kuijpers company in Deurne. The mink keeper himself cleared the nine thousand animals, adult minks and puppies. As has happened with the other companies. That’s how the profession wanted it.
–
Clearing the minks was a time-consuming task. The minks are gassed in smaller numbers in a small container. After ten seconds, the minks are already unconscious. It takes about ten minutes for them to completely die. The animals were taken to the rendering company Rendac in Son.
–
Total amount?
How many minks have now been killed in total, a spokesman for the NVWA could not yet say on Friday morning. She will probably become more clear about that number later on Friday, she says.
–
What now?
The cleared companies have now been empty for a few months, in order to guarantee that no virus is present anymore. Mink farmers are only allowed to keep new animals after that. In 2013 it was decided to ban fur farming by 2024 anyway. Most parties in the House of Representatives therefore do not want mink farms to be able to fill the stables with mink again after culling.
–
However, opinions differ as to whether the owners of these companies should then be compensated, and if so by what amount.
– .
