 |
Tuesday, November 7, 2006
Firefighting foam may be used to kill diseased chickens quickly
WASHINGTON -- The government has approved the use of firefighting foam to kill chickens quickly if there is an outbreak of deadly bird flu in commercial poultry.
The Agriculture Department says water-based foam can be an alternative to carbon dioxide, which has traditionally been used to quickly kill large quantities of birds.
Gassing involves more workers and exposes them to potentially infected birds, and it can be difficult to maintain a high enough concentration of gas to kill the bird, the department's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said.
Foam can be used to suffocate floor-reared flocks -- chickens and turkeys raised primarily for meat -- to contain deadly bird flu, said APHIS spokeswoman Karen Eggert. Foam also can be used in outbreaks of rapidly spreading disease such as Exotic Newcastle, a fatal respiratory virus in birds, when authorities deem it necessary.
Animal health officials in North Carolina and Delaware researched use of the foam to kill chickens quickly.
"Whenever you have a new solution to an old problem, it's probably because the old solution had a number of shortcomings or was not ideal," said Marty Zaluski, North Carolina Agriculture Department veterinarian.
The practice has its critics. Animal rights advocates argue against using the foam because it suffocates the animals, and they are urging authorities to use gases instead.
"All of the top animal welfare scientists agree that using inert gases is the most humane way," said Matt Prescott, spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
 Day in Pictures China's Yangma Festival and more |
 David Horsey It's a wonderful life ... 2008 |
 The week's best photos Great shots from the P-I staff |
· Bush in talks to bring troops home
· Obama unlikely to see struggles of Iraqi families
· Campaign Countdown: 110 Days To Go
· McCain brings economic plan to autoworkers
· Jo Stafford, 1917-2008: Singer a dream girl for WWII soldiers
more
101 Elliott Ave. W.
Seattle, WA 98119
(206) 448-8000
Home Delivery: (206) 464-2121 or (800) 542-0820
seattlepi.com serves about 1.7 million unique visitors
and 30 million page views each month.
Send comments to newmedia@seattlepi.com
Send investigative tips to iteam@seattlepi.com
©1996-2008 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Terms of Use/Privacy Policy
