Mink farms in the Netherlands have started to implement a government order to execute their animals; After fears that a number of them were infected with the Coruna virus, the disease will spread to humans.
The Dutch Food and Commodities Authority said it had detected cases of the Corona virus on 10 farms raising minks for their fur.
"All of the mink farms that are infected will be evacuated and cleared, and it will not happen on the injury-free farms," said spokeswoman Frederick Hermi.
Last Wednesday, the government ordered the disposal of 10,000 minks, after ensuring that infected farms could become a disease reservoir in the long run.
Initially, a number of mink animals were infected with the Coruna virus last April. In May the government revealed two cases of human infection from sick animals, the only two known cases of animal-to-human transmission of the virus since the outbreak began in China.
Animals are disposed of by using workers in farms wearing protective gear, against mink mothers and their young.
Opposition groups to the fur trade suggest that the pandemic is another reason to close all farms.
The Dutch Association of Fur Producers says that there are 140 mink farms in the country that export 90 million euros (101.5 million dollars) worth of fur annually.