The Netherlands ordered a mass mink cull to extinguish a coronavirus outbreak linked to at least two human cases, hastening the demise of an industry ordered to cease by 2024. Culling will start Friday and cover nine farms raising the semi-aquatic, carnivorous mammals for their soft pelts, the Dutch government said in a statement. The cull will prevent a “reservoir” of SARS-CoV-2 virus on farms, which could endanger public health, it said.
Infected mink don’t necessarily develop signs of disease, making them potential silent sources of the pandemic virus, said Arjan Stegeman, a veterinary epidemiologist at Utrecht University who is investigating the outbreak. An infected farm worker is thought to have introduced the virus to mink, which subsequently spread it to two — possibly four — people linked to the farms, he said.