Coronavirus has been identified at two more mink farms in the Netherlands, taking the total to 29. All the mink on the two farms – 18,000 adult females plus offspring – will now be killed, the agriculture ministry said.

The infections came to light following routine tests for coronavirus on dead mink. Testing and strict hygiene rules were introduced after the first cases of Covid-19 on mink farms were found in April.

More than a million mink have been killed since the virus was first found on a farm in Noord-Brabant.

Mink farming in the Netherlands is being phased out by 2024 but the government has rejected recent calls from MPs to speed up the process.

However, last month, government experts said that all the country’s 120 plus mink farms should be cleared of animals if there are more infections later than mid-August, despite the stricter standards of hygiene.

It is unclear as yet if the minister is prepared to follow that advice.