Mink are pulled out cages by their tail and thrown around at mink farms in the Netherlands. Footage released on Wednesday by Animal Rights shows the animals being abused before they’re killed.
Since June, almost two million mink have been killed at 69 Dutch mink farms because of the coronavirus. Those mink farms closed permanently, but there are still around 50 farms active in the Netherlands. And in November and December, the mink who were born in April and May are gassed and skinned for their fur for the fashion industry.
Last week, Animal Rights filmed at two mink farms, Van Son in Valkenswaard and Rios Mink in Rosmalen, and discovered how workers handled animals. On both farms, mink are pulled out of wired cages by their tail and hind legs, thrown around by these body parts, and then launched towards the lid of the gas cart.
The videos show the farms violate the European ‘Regulation on the protection of animals during killing’ and ignore the established corona hygiene protocol, Animal Rights campaign leader Erwin Vermeulen said in a statement.
European and Dutch regulation demand that the killing of animals should be done without causing unnecessary pain. The needless pulling and throwing seen in the videos cause mink extreme stress and pain.
And pulling animals by their head, ears, horns, legs, tail or fur is forbidden in Europe. The treatment of the animals in Valkenswaard and Rosmalen is therefore not only cruel but also illegal, Animal Rights said.
When mink are gassed, visual surveillance needs to be carried out on the animals at all times. The animals have to be put in the gas cars separately. An animal has to be unconscious or dead first before the next one can be put in.
This means that you have to look through a window to see if the last mink that has been put into the gas cart is no longer moving before you put the next animal in it.
“No form of supervision is exercised on the minks in the gas box at both companies and the gas cart is loaded as quickly as the employees can fill it with animals,” says Vermeulen. Animal Rights reported the two farms to authorities.
Footage from Animal Rights at the mink farms:
