Urge the American Veterinary Medical Association To Oppose Torturous Depopulation Methods 20 March 2022 Photo: Delaware Public Media. Urge the American Veterinary Medical Association To Oppose Torturous Depopulation Methods ‘They’re cooking them alive’: calls to ban ‘cruel’ killing methods on US farms Use of heat, steam and suffocating foam to slaughter sick animals is condemned as bird flu epidemic threatens poultry stocks. –The Guardian, March 5, 2022 Here is an excerpt from The Guardian article, which can be read online: “Vets and animal advocates in the US are calling for restriction on cruel methods of culling birds, as farmers face killing millions of poultry due to a highly virulent avian flu tearing through the country [and around the world]. “In 2020, millions of birds were killed across the US after the Covid-19 pandemic shut down slaughterhouses and left animals stranded on farms. Now, bird flu, which has already led to the slaughter of millions of birds in Europe, is likely to result in another mass depopulation. . . . “However, two commonly used methods to cull animals on-farm are attracting increasing backlash. The use of firefighting foam to suffocate animals and ventilation shutdown, in which animals are killed with extremely high heat and steam, are still permitted in the US, despite being effectively banned in the EU and labeled ‘inhumane.’ “Poultry flocks sickened with avian flu are commonly killed with carbon dioxide poisoning or firefighting foam, where birds are smothered with a blanket of foam. “The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) says the method involves ‘drowning in fluids or suffocation by occlusion of the airways’ and is ‘not accepted as a humane method for killing animals.’. . . “Last year, a group of AVMA [American Veterinary Medical Association] members submitted a resolution to classify ventilation shutdown as ‘not recommended.’ A decision on the resolution has not been made, but animal welfare experts say it is time for US-wide rules to govern the treatment of farm animals before slaughter.” WHAT CAN I DO? Under public scrutiny and criticism, an AVMA panel is giving “further consideration” to the AVMA’s consent to the practices of smothering chickens, turkeys and ducks to death with firefighting foam and subjecting them, along with factory-farmed pigs, to “ventilation shutdown,” a method that “incorporates components such as heat, humidity, and carbon dioxide, in addition to shutting down the ventilation system, to cause the death of pigs or poultry.” As the panel reconsiders its official stance, please urge the AVMA to adopt a “not recommended” standard of opposition to these brutally inhumane practices in its “AVMA Guidelines for the Depopulation of Animals.” CONTACT Dr. Janet Donlin Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer American Veterinary Medical Association 1931 North Meacham Road, Suite 100 Schaumburg, IL 60173-4360 Phone: 800-248-2862 Fax: 847-925-1329 Web form: Contact Us Dr. Cia Johnson Panel on Depopulation & Director of the AVMA Animal Welfare Division American Veterinary Medical Association 1931 North Meacham Road, Suite 100 Schaumburg, IL 60173-4360 Phone: 800-248-2862 Fax: 847-925-1329 Web form: Contact Us *AVIAN INFLUENZA PANDEMICS Learn more about the true sources of avian influenza pandemics on industrialized poultry farms: Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) - What You Need to Know *TRACTOR SUPPLY COMPANY Tell Tractor Supply Company to stop selling baby chicks and ducklings. By carrying and selling these birds in its stores, Tractor Supply is encouraging the spread of avian influenza (bird flu) in backyard flocks and beyond. All of their newborns are purchased from factory-farm hatcheries and shipped by mail – most often by airmail – resulting in the stresses that predispose these birds to disease. See Bird Flu and Tractor Supply: Urge “No Baby Chicks or Ducklings!” Hal Lawton, CEO Tractor Supply Company 5401 Virginia Way Brentwood, TN 37027 Phone: 615-440-4600 extension 4601 Website: www.tractorsupply.com Customer Solutions Phone: 1-877-718-6750 Email: [email protected] Please post a comment on Tractor Supply's Facebook page. You can also comment on the company’s individual store Facebook pages. Thank you for taking action! – United Poultry Concerns United Poultry Concerns is a nonprofit organization that promotes the compassionate and respectful treatment of domestic fowl. Don't just switch from beef to chicken. Go Vegan. www.UPC-online.org View this article online United Poultry Concerns | PO Box 150, Machipongo, VA 23405 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] powered by Try email marketing for free today!