Gross. Bet the foam works great on people, too.
Turkeys with Avian Flu Killed with Firefighting Foam in West Virginia
[
link to www.lancasterfarming.com]
United Poultry Concerns
April 18, 2007
For Immediate Release
Contact: Karen Davis 757-678-7875
www.upc-online.org
On April 1, 2007, a University of Delaware researcher named George
Malone was asked to exterminate thousands of turkeys using firefighting
foam on a farm in West Virginia. The reason given was that the birds
were infected with the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, H5N2.
According to an article in Lancaster Farming (04/12/07), a total of
15,000 turkeys confined in four different houses were subsequently
exterminated with the foam.
That the birds died a horrible death can be inferred from Malone’s
description of how the kill crew “struggled with their equipment,” faced
“foam quality issues, pump failure and worker fatigue.” In addition, he
said, “there was not a consistent single brand of foam.” In one case,
the foam “was 20 years old and had ‘sludge’ in the bottom of the container.”
In November 2006, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved
firefighting foam to kill chickens and turkeys en masse in cases of
infectious disease outbreaks, despite severe criticism of the method.
Poultry scientist, Dr. Ian Duncan, of the University of Guelph, in
Ontario, called the foam “a horribly inhumane way to kill birds. You
can’t tell if they are suffering or vocalizing because they are covered up.”
A board certified veterinary toxicologist expressed concern that the
chemical ingredients of the foam would cause irritation of the birds’
eyes, mucous membranes, and skin during the time that it took them to
suffocate to death.
In a report to the USDA, Dr. Mohan Raj, a scientist at the University of
Bristol in the United Kingdom, wrote on behalf of The Humane Society of
the United States that “the birds appear to be killed either by
suffocation or drowning.” He noted that a physiological definition of
suffocation is “the physical separation of the upper respiratory tract
from the atmospheric air, which would happen if the birds were buried
alive.”
An article in Poultry USA last December said the foam is intended to
obstruct birds’ upper respiratory tract including the trachea, and
should result in the death of 95 percent of the birds within seven
minutes, and 100 percent of the flock within 15 minutes of submergence.
At a USDA meeting in June 2006, on “Methods of Mass Depopulation of
Poultry,” slides showed what one researcher called “a lot of escape
behavior for 4 to 6 minutes” by chickens struggling against being buried
alive under the foam. This meeting, which was attended by United Poultry
Concerns president Karen Davis, indicated that, despite a formal request
for comments on the procedure, USDA officials had already decided to
approve the use of foam, regardless of animal welfare concerns.
“The idea is simply to forget the birds and their suffering and call it
‘humane,’” said Davis. “The use of firefighting foam to exterminate
birds, whose neurophysiology is virtually the same as humans’, is cruel
and unethical. Unfortunately, when it comes to animals used for
agricultural purposes, restraints on human behavior are lifted. Imagine
putting humans through this horrible death and then saying afterwards
that you were ‘pleased with the results.’”
For more information visit
[
link to www.upc-online.org]
United States
