Government party D66 wants Agriculture Minister Schouten to investigate why corona infections are being found on more and more mink farms, while the measures are becoming stricter. The party does not exclude the possibility that intent is involved with the aim of obtaining compensation.
“It just strikes me,” says D66 MP De Groot. “Despite all the measures, things have suddenly gone very quickly with the infections in recent months. Do the breeders keep to the rules? Are the measures not sufficient?”
At the end of May, a transport ban was introduced for mink and mink manure, no more visitors are allowed into the stables and mink keepers must ensure that pets, such as cats and dogs, cannot walk from the stables to the residential area. Strict hygiene measures also apply to employees.
Generous compensation
However, corona infections have now been found on 41 of the 120 farms, which also pose a danger to public health.
De Groot points out that the compensation is “generous” for companies that have to be cleared because of the contamination. “That was recognized from the start,” he says. He has no concrete indications of deliberate contamination or careless handling of the rules by mink breeders. “That’s why I want the minister to investigate this.”
The cabinet has announced that it will preventively culling all mink farms if the number of infections increases. This also includes a financial arrangement for the entrepreneurs affected by this.
Different opinions
Within the government coalition there are different opinions about what the financial compensation for the breeders should look like. CDA Member of Parliament Geurts argued today for “a generous stoppers scheme” for non-infected mink farms that will be culled preventively.
D66 is “opposed in principle” if the mink breeders would be “better helped” than other entrepreneurs affected by the corona pandemic. “I don’t know why we should treat the mink companies differently,” says De Groot.
Schouten was to come up with a decision on the ‘quit scheme’ at the beginning of this week, but that was postponed. It has been established that mink breeding is no longer legally allowed from 2024. In connection with this ban, the breeders have already been promised financial compensation.
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