The cabinet does not yet intend to introduce a ban on breeding minks. The House of Representatives recently asked the cabinet to work on this. Due to corona infections, all minks have now been killed in more than ten locations. The animals also appear to be able to transmit the virus to humans.
Ministers De Jonge and Schouten inform the House that they are keeping a finger on the pulse of a breeding ban. But according to them, a ban is “not yet opportune, because mink mating season is in the spring”.
They want to decide at the end of the year, before mating mating season begins, whether a ban is “necessary at that time to prevent the spread of the virus in view of risks to public or animal health”.
Stops the Regeling
According to the cabinet, the number of mink farms that still remain if a “stoppers scheme” has been opened also plays a role. The House had asked the cabinet to come up with a “decent arrangement” in June for breeders who voluntarily terminate their business. But the ministers write that it does not work. De Jonge and Schouten want to make a decision about this in August. The breeding of minks is prohibited from 2024 anyway.
The Court’s proposal for a breeding ban included other animal species that are proven to be susceptible to the coronavirus and to “form a reservoir”. Ministers write about this that there are no other species than the mink that have been identified.
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