Dutch authorities order culling of 10,000 mink over COVID-19 risk

Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, Dutch authorities have ordered mink farms to cull their entire population of minks amid COVID-19 fears. According to reports, the authorities believe that coronavirus infected minks that have been found in 10 Dutch mink farms could transmit the virus to humans and therefore pose a major health risk.

Almost 10,000 minks to be culled

As per reports, a spokesperson from the Dutch Food & Wares Authority, Frederique Hermie, said that only the farms wherein infected minks were found will be asked to cull and other farms that are free of infection will be spared. The Dutch mink farms were ordered to cull their minks on June 3. The number of minks in these 10 farms that will have to be culled numbers is roughly 10,000.

Infected minks were first discovered back in April and it is believed that they were infected by their handlers. In May the government discovered two cases in which humans were infected by sick animals, the only recorded case of an animal to human transmission since the pandemic began in China late last year.

As per reports, the culling of the farms will involve farmworkers in protective clothing using gas on the mothers and their pups. Groups and organizations that are against the mink farms have cited the coronavirus outbreak as more of a reason to stop and shut down all existing mink farms. It is believed that China, Denmark and Poland are the largest mink producers in the world and it is believed that 60 million minks are killed each year.

Read: Dutch Authorities Suspect Minks With COVID-19 May Have Passed Virus To Humans

Read: 23 New Coronavirus Patients In Chhattisgarh, Two Deaths

All minks need to be tested

Last month, authorities in the Netherlands had made it mandatory to test all mink farms in the country as they suspect that a mink might have infected humans with Coronavirus, international media reported. As a part of the process, they said that all the minks would undergo an antibody test.

Read: Haryana Records 355 New Coronavirus Cases In Biggest Single-day Jump

Read: Three More Infected With Coronavirus In Chandigarh

In addition to those minks, they also suspect cats of spreading the virus in farms. According to the government's statement, ongoing research has revealed that the virus at two different infected farms was similar.  Also, COVID-19 was found in three of the 11 cats in one of the farms. Therefore, the government has instructed infected mink farms' owners to not allow cats to enter or leave until the investigation is complete.

(Representative Image)(Image Credit Pixabay)