Two mink breeders in North Brabant have diagnosed the coronavirus in several animals, reports Minister Schouten of Agriculture. The animals had gastrointestinal complaints and breathing problems.
The ministry assumes human to animal contamination, because some employees of the companies in Beek en Donk and Milheeze had symptoms of the coronavirus.
According to the RIVM, the mink are the first animals in the Netherlands to have been diagnosed with a corona infection. As far as is known, it is the first time worldwide that covid-19 has been established on a larger scale in breeding animals.
The infections were confirmed on Friday by researchers from the laboratory of Wageningen Bioveterinary Research in Lelystad. It was already known that ferrets, which are related to mink, can get sick from the coronavirus.
The farm in Beek en Donk has 7,500 mink and Milheeze has 13,000 animals. To prevent spreading to other farms, the mink and manure have to stay at the farms.
Not cycling and walking
On the advice of RIVM, the public road around both farms is closed within a radius of 400 meters for cyclists and walkers. This is a precautionary measure, because according to RIVM, mink companies do not, as far as we know, pose a risk of spreading to humans.
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