The cabinet will put an end to mink breeding in March 2021, sources let NU.nl know on Thursday after reporting the AD. That is three years ahead of schedule. Mink farmers will be bought out and the animals will not be culled preventively.
The measure is intended to prevent the companies from becoming a reservoir for the corona virus. Continuous infections have been detected on the mink farms.
The cabinet is allocating 180 million euros for the buy-out. About 120 companies will have to close their doors before March 21, 2021. Mink breeding would be banned as early as 2024.
The animals are not culled preventively, because the danger to public health is not great enough. The chance that the virus will be transmitted from mink to humans is also too small.
Schouten tightens up measures
To prevent the virus from spreading further, Minister Carola Schouten is opening an investigation into compliance with the corona rules within the sector.
She is also tightening up corona measures for the companies. A stricter hygiene protocol had already been drawn up to prevent new infections.
More than a million minks gassed
More than a million minks have been gassed since the start of the corona crisis. It concerns 245,000 mother animals and their young. In April and May, a mother animal gives birth to an average of four to six young.
Before the culling started, the Netherlands had more than 700,000 mother animals at the 110 different breeding farms. In total, infected minks were found at 41 farms.
Mink breeding yielded millions
Most breeding farms are located in North Brabant. Under normal circumstances, the majority of the animals are killed in November and stripped of their fur. Only animals suitable for breeding are kept until the next mating season.
The Netherlands has been exporting millions of pelts for years with an annual value of more than 100 million euros. Denmark is the largest buyer.
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that millions more animals will be gassed, but that is not the case. NU.nl has corrected the text.
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