Avian flu 2020-2021: massacre, not euthanasia – evidence 2: “death by heat, by suffocation”

In Avian flu 2020-2021: massacre, not euthanasia – evidence 1: on-site inspection, we showed that the depopulation of poultry for avian flu is a massacre rather than euthanasia, but in this article we’d like to leave another piece of evidence for it being a massacre.

On 2021/2/27, A report on the depopulation sites in violent avian flu outbreak events was posted, with a title “[National Defense Forefront] Unimaginable Avian Flu Depopulation: Self-Defense Forces struggle with protective clothing bright red with spouting blood; Japan is an underdeveloped country in animal welfare“. In addition to showing that it was a harsh scene, like engaging in depopulation work while wearing diapers, this report had a vivid description of the depopulation.

For depopulation, first the fans are stopped to shut off ventilation. The chickens are packed in one cage, so they are said to suffocate to death. Stuff both breathless and dead chickens into plastic buckets. The cages are stacked in many tiers, so they climb up high close to the ceiling to pull out the chickens. If the fans are stopped too early, the chicken would rot and gas accumulate, sticking to the cages or spewing blood, causing the protective suits to turn bright red.

Reading this report, we were very shocked.

This stopping of ventilation is a method used for depopulation of birds in the US, etc (sometimes used as a depopulation method for pigs as well). It is also a method that has been accused of being an inhumane method. Never thought it was happening in Japan.

Depopulation for bird flu that we have known so far was “carbon dioxide gas killing” or “foam bird killers” that wrap chickens in generated foam and blocks the airways to kill them. Carbon dioxide gas has been found to be aversive poultry and suffer from breathing difficulty while remaining conscious, and it goes without saying that foam bird killers that close the airways are also inhumane.

However, “killing by stopping ventilation” causes more terrifying suffering to poultry.

How do poultry die if they are killed by stopping ventilation?

1. Shut down the air in and out of the poultry shack by turning off the ventilation fan of the shack and seal the shack.
2. The body temperatures of the birds raises the temperature of the shack and lowers the oxygen in the shack.
3. Maintain in this state for several hours.
4. Eventually they die of hyperthermia and hypoxia (suffocation).

Time until death

Even under “ideal conditions”, approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour to death

It’s surprising that even if it takes 30 minutes to 1 hour to die, it is considered to be an “ideal condition”, but what’s the ideal condition in the first place? Regarding “ventilation shutdown” (VSD), the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) states in the AVMA Guidelines for the Depopulation of Animals:2019 Edition that the panel

recommends that VSD only be used in facilities with the capability to adequately increase air temperature to a level that causes the generation of latent heat that results in a > 95% death rate in < 1 hour. The goal of any depopulation is 100% mortality, and this remains true for VSD. To achieve this goal, additional heat sources or the addition of CO2 may be needed.

However, it is unclear whether this low standard “ideal conditions” can even be achieved. The poultry shack structure, such as insulation, doors, windows, and ventilation systems, and the type, number, and weight of poultry trapped in the shack vary depending on the shack. Some “lucky” chickens can finally die in 30 minutes to an hour, while others can’t die after an hour and continue to suffer.

Project No. BRU007 Evaluating hen behavior and physiological stressors during VSD for the development of humane methodologies for mass depopulation during a disease outbreak

Veterinarians question use of ventilation shutdown AVMA draws scorn over its qualified endorsement of method for depopulation June 30, 2020

Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) has also issued the following statement.

The ventilation shutdown process can take hours and likely results in severe animal suffering. Intentionally inflicting death in a manner that causes elevated and prolonged distress is unacceptable and does not qualify as “euthanasia.” It is particularly insupportable for the AVMA — a professional scientific body representing veterinarians sworn to protect animals — to allow its guidelines to be used in such an inappropriate manner.

Ventilation Shutdown Used to “Depopulate” Farm Animals During Pandemic Causes Severe Suffering

Why such inhumane methods are used

1. It’s just stopping ventilation. It doesn’t cost money.
2. It can be completed hassle-free and quickly, saving labor hours.
3. Prevention of virus shedding (unknown if actually effective), shortening of the exposure time of workers

In the bird flu depopulation, from the viewpoint of “prevention of epidemics”, killing all poultry on the farm in a short time is required (in Japan, as a guide, slaughter is within 24 hours, and carcass processing (burying and incinerating) is within 72 hours), and this is the priority in everything.

“Ventilation shutdown” when bird flu occurs in Japan

After reading the article at the beginning, we took a survey in 30 prefectures in Japan where bird flu has occurred, on whether they stop the farms’ ventilation in the case of bird flu.

While many prefectures shut down the ventilation fans, it turned out that the purpose was to “prevent the spread of the virus.” Next, to the 15 prefectures that answered that they would stop the ventilation fans, we asked when to stop.

The problem is the case of stopping as soon as a positive result is confirmed.

In this case, ventilation would have been stopped for several hours before culling begins. However, stopping ventilation does not mean that they would die. Poultry die When ventilation is stopped, poultry die in the case of closed windowless shacks and with high densities of chickens. Furthermore, if the outside temperature is extremely low in the winter, the temperatures inside the poultry shacks will not be high, and the risk of dying would be lower.

To the 11 prefectures that responded that they would turn off the ventilation fans upon confirmation of a positive result, we asked whether turning off the ventilation fans would kill the poultry.

Of the prefectures that answered “They don’t die”, one prefecture has so far only had cases in open poultry shacks that are not closed. The remaining three were the prefectures where there have been cases of outbreaks in closed windowless shacks.

• Not confirmed whether the carcasses are ones due to heat stroke. 1
• Unknown because of no experience of occurrence in windowless type poultry shacks. 3
• (While expecting to turn them off,) have never actually turned off so far. 1

From the answers, it seems that they may not die even in windowless closed poultry shacks due to factors like the outside temperature.

However, it can be said that poultry is not in a situation where they withstand high temperatures that do not kill them. There is probably not a possibility of suffering from high temperatures if it is extremely cold, but the outside temperatures are not constant. Besides, as one prefecture says, it’s hard to tell whether the carcasses in the poultry shacks are due to heat stroke or something else. No matter what, speed is a priority, so there is no time to make such a distinction. It would be premature to judge that “chickens are not suffering” based on the responses of the prefectures that say “they don’t die even if the ventilation fans are turned off”.

“Stop the ventilation fans” is an instruction from MAFF

As mentioned at the beginning, there are chickens in the country who have been killed horribly by turning off the ventilation fans at the site of the bird flu outbreak farm. Given the risk for chickens like this, the “turn off the ventilators” approach should not be taken. However, it is cruel to force the responsibility to the prefectures. This is because prefectures only follow the instructions of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) to “stop the ventilation fans”.

Whether or not to turn off the ventilation fans is decided by MAFF in consideration of the density of surrounding poultry farms.

About this matter, we asked the MAFF Animal Health Division by phone.

Why stop the ventilation?

“We are doing this to prevent the spread of the virus. There is a possibility that the virus will spread to neighboring farmers via dust and feathers.”

Are there chickens who die from stopping ventilation?

“Stopping ventilation is not for killing, but we’ve heard that there are cases of death as a result.”

Is it correct that the country has issued instructions to turn off the ventilation fans?

“We do sometimes give instructions to stop ventilation.”

After talking, it was found that MAFF prioritizes “prevention of spread of infection” first and foremost. “Consideration for animals” is beyond secondary.

In the first place, is it really meaningful to shut down the ventilation fans to prevent the spread of infection, which is so important to MAFF ? Said by a prefectural official whom we inquired this time, “Even if you turn off the ventilation, you have to open when people enter the poultry shack for work. Isn’t it the same anyway? Does turning off the ventilation fans make sense? “

As this staff says, the poultry shack is left open when the chickens in the shack are taken out and buried or incinerated. Even if ventilation is turned off, the virus is released at once at that time. Even if one fills the cup with water, it eventually gets turned over. We can’t understand what meaning “stopping ventilation” has.

But even so, if MAFF says so, the instructions must be followed. A staff member who said, “Is it worth turning off the ventilation fan?” said, “But if there is an instruction from the government, the ventilation will be stopped.”

Inquiry to MAFF

On 2021/3/27, ARCj sent MAFF an inquiry as follows.

1. Even if the ventilation of the poultry shack is stopped, the shack will be opened and the virus will be spread by the work of delivering the carcasses out anyway. If the ventilation of the poultry shack is turned off, how effective is in preventing the spread of the avian influenza virus ?

2. Please let us know whether or not stopping the ventilation fans and letting the poultry die violates domestic laws, guidelines, and notices. If you think that there is no conflict, please tell us the rationale.

Reference:

Regarding the method for killing animals as stipulated in Article 40 of the “Act on Welfare and Management of Animals”, “Guidelines for Animal Slaughter” (1995/7/4 Prime Minister’s Office Notification #40) stipulate that, in the case where an animal must be slaughtered, the animal is to be in a state of unconsciousness by using a method that does not cause pain to the animal to be slaughtered as much as possible by chemical or physical methods, and it is by irreversibly stopping cardiac or lung function, or by the usual socially accepted methods.

In 2019, MAFF has notified the “Guidelines for the slaughter of livestock on farms in accordance with the concept of animal welfare”. The guidelines also call for culling in the least painful way possible, including immediate unconsciousness.

On 2021/1/21, the Ministry of the Environment and MAFF notified “Implementation of slaughter of industrial animals on farms by appropriate methods”. The notification states:  If there is a possibility of abuse such as debilitating industrial animals due to improper rearing or culling is not done by appropriate methods, please demand prompt improvement, and if there is no intention of improvement, please take strict measures, including accusations to the police.“

“Implementation of slaughter of industrial animals on farms by appropriate methods”
https://www.maff.go.jp/j/chikusan/sinko/attach/pdf/animal_welfare-73.pdf

Looking at the current trend of poultry shack construction, it is expected that small and medium-sized open shacks will collapse and large-scale closed windowless shacks will become the mainstream in the future.

Furthermore, looking at the outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5 and H7 in the world since 1950, outbreaks that were initially every few years have been reported every year since 2000, and with no sign of ending.  Looking at the number of abnormal occurrences this year, there is no evidence to hope for convergence in the future.
Basically, bird flu often occurs in winter, but it also occurs at other times.  If it happens when the outdoor temperature is high and ventilation is shut down to “prevent virus spread”, the situation will be even more frightening than it is now.

Please note that we are not demanding a humane method of slaughter.  Speaking of humaneness, neither carbon dioxide gas killing nor foam bird killers are humane as mentioned above.  We just want to stop the worst torturous slaughter, like “ventilation shutdown”.  Poultry are despised and suffering so much that we have to demand such low standards even before animal welfare.

Reference:

RSPCA What are the animal welfare issues with mass killing of poultry using ventilation shutdown?