El pasado año los EUA sufrieron un brote por IA H5N2 que se considera el episodio mas grave de salud animal que jamas hayan sufrido. Entre las causas que propiciaron el tamaño de la epidemia (8 millones de aves) además de brechas en bioseguridad estuvo el hecho de la demora en sacrificar poblaciones ya detectadas como infectadas. A partir de experiencia se aprobó para lograr em sacrifico rápido el procedimiento de apagar la ventilación de las naves afectadas o en sospecha. Sin embargo, esta medida aplicada por primera ocasión en el presente brote por H7N8 logro la rapidez deseada porque se procedio al compostaje de los pavos dentro de las propias naves pero ha generado una seria de cuestionamientos públicos e incluso por especialistas respecto al bienestar animal. Quizas era necesario considerar que la difusión de la infección también compromete el bienestar animal.

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US turkey slaughter techniques condemned

Feb 8, 2016 767

Animal welfare groups have heavily criticised the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) for using ventilation shutdown to slaughter some of the 400,000 birds culled during last month’s avian influenza outbreak.

Animal welfare groups have heavily criticised the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) for using ventilation shutdown to slaughter some of the 400,000 birds culled during last month's avian influenza outbreak.

The USDA announced last autumn that it would only use ventilation shutdown as a last resort, but USDA spokesperson Andrea McNally confirmed that it was used in the Indiana outbreak on some of the turkeys and chickens which were either infected or at risk of infection from the H7N8 strain of the virus.

Also read: New HPAI strain strikes US turkey farm

The US is bracing itself for more avian influenza heartache following confirmation of a previously unseen strain of highly pathogenic H7N8 striking a commercial turkey farm in southern Indiana.

Cold temperatures hamper poultry slaughter

McNally said the cold temperatures in Indiana make the use of water-based foam difficult at some of the 10 affected commercial poultry farms.

But Peter Stevenson, Compassion in World Farming's chief policy advisor, said he was shocked the US government had used the practice, which causes birds to die slowly from suffocation or organ failure, due to overheating over a 30-40 minute period. "There is no doubt that this causes substantial suffering and distress to the birds," he added.

"Breaching OIE poultry slaughter standards"

Stevenson said he had written to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), claiming that by using ventilation shutdown, the US government was breaching the OIE's international recommended standards on disease control.

He added that there were much more humane methods available: "We've advocated the use of 98% nitrogen, packed in high expansion foam to cull poultry. This is fundamentally different from low expansion fire-fighting foam which, in our view, is highly aversive as it blocks the birds' airways thereby killing them by suffocation."

Humane ways to euthanise poultry

Michael Blackwell, Humane Society of the United States chief veterinary officer, agreed. "There are more humane ways to mass euthanise poultry than intentionally causing heatstroke, which is an absolutely horrible way to die.

"Ventilation shutdown should only be considered as an absolute last resort, and not the first response to an outbreak," he added.

Compassion in World Farming is urging supporters to back its sister organisation Compassion USA to lobby USDA deputy administrator of veterinary services John Clifford to prohibit the use of ventilation shutdown as an acceptable method of euthanasia.

By: Tony McDougal