GUIDELINES ON KILLING CHICKENS

Transcription

1 GUIDELINES ON KILLING CHICKENS WESTERN POULTRY CONFERENCE FEB 27/2017 MIKE PETRIK, DVM, MSC THE INDUSTRY IS ABOUT KILLING CHICKENS We are in an industry where we grow chickens to kill them Most of the public is OK with this, provided: SOCIAL CONTRACT We have a contract with the birds We have to provide certain things to have the license to take their lives We need to provide a certain quality of life, protection, good food, fresh water, care and health. A clean death is part of that care We cannot cheat (undercover videos are all about us not providing the things we owe ) Guidelines on killing chickens - Mike Petrik 1

2 HAVE YOU RECEIVED TRAINING ON HOW TO EUTHANIZE BIRDS THAT IS APPROPRIATE FOR YOUR PRODUCTION CLASS? OFFICIAL training Not from Dad, the Chicken Boss, or a feed supplier? A. Yes B. No Yes No WHY DO WE KILL POULTRY? In the poultry industries, we dispatch birds for several reasons: To harvest the meat that has been grown To end the suffering of a compromised bird To contain or eradicate a disease To remove homeless birds from the system End of production layers, breeders, male leghorns, long hatches HOW DO WE KILL POULTRY? Each of these situations are held to different standards to be considered humane Sometimes these standards are somewhat arbitrary Guidelines on killing chickens - Mike Petrik 2

3 HUNTING VS SLAUGHTER Consider deer hunting vs Cattle slaughter A clean shot results in a buck that dies within minutes of being shot in the heart or lungs, after running less than 100 yards A hunter that makes 9 clean shots is considered competent That is acceptable to the vast majority of the population Imagine a slaughterhouse where cattle are shot, and don t die for 1-2 minutes, or one where 1 in 10 need to be re-shot. SURVEY Are you familiar with the Code of Practice for your type of Farm? 1- No 2- Have an Idea What it s About 3- Have had it Explained to Me 4- Have Seen / Read it Myself ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE CODE OF PRACTICE FOR YOUR TYPE OF FARM? A. No B. Have an idea what it s about C. Have had it explained to me D. Have seen / read it myself A. B. C. D. Guidelines on killing chickens - Mike Petrik 3

4 WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES? Slaughter Killing a healthy animal to harvest their meat for use Euthanasia Killing a compromised animal that is currently suffering Mass depopulation Emergency Killing animals to curb the spread of disease or because of unforeseeable problems Planned Killing animals that have no home SLAUGHTER Many birds killed in a mechanized environment Very controlled, precise Needs to be fast Needs to be healthy Alien to the public SO. SLAUGHTER Requirements are EXTREMELY strict Pre-stun handling must minimize stress NO birds may be hung by one leg NO birds with identified fractures can be hung Less than 2% of birds can miss being stunned Un-stunned birds must be euthanized Stunner requirements for voltage, amps, etc are very strict Insensibility must be immediate Stunned birds can NEVER regain consciousness NO conscious birds can make it to the water bath Guidelines on killing chickens - Mike Petrik 4

5 SLAUGHTER The industry is moving towards Controlled Atmosphere Stunning CAS means the bird gets stunned before being unloaded There is no risk of birds missing the waterbath, and no stress of hanging or unloading It takes a big overhaul in trucking equipment, renovating many barns, and a big investment in the slaughter plant, so it will take time to implement The killing of an injured, debilitated or ill bird Requirements are less strict than slaughter We are reducing the suffering of a bird in distress ARE YOU CONFIDENT THAT YOU ARE ABLE TO EUTHANIZE AS WELL AS YOU SHOULD ON YOUR FARM? A. Yes B. No Yes No Guidelines on killing chickens - Mike Petrik 5

6 Doing NOTHING causes more pain, so if insensibility is not quite immediate, there can still be a net gain in the welfare contract Less standardized situation, so practical methods are crucial There is a moving line of good enough, and depends on social situation Switzerland vs North America Although the requirements for precision are less than slaughter Public is VERY interested in what we do, and how The public doesn t understand what we do, or how Farms differences and bird logistics make euthanasia decisions complicated Many factors to consider when deciding on a method of euthanasia for your farm Guidelines on killing chickens - Mike Petrik 6

7 Effective euthanasia is NOT about making a bird dead That is the final result, but not what makes a method effective The bird has to be made unconscious quickly (not immediately) Once the bird is unconscious and can t feel pain or fear, the method used to kill the body is of less importance Any acceptable method must be reliable, repeatable, and make the bird unconscious quickly The minimum standard seems to be manual cervical dislocation (in N. America) seconds before eye reflexes disappear Other acceptable methods include Decapitation ~15 seconds Captive bolt / blunt force trauma Instantaneous CO2 Works by acidifying the blood Takes ~3 minutes, but is sedation Guidelines on killing chickens - Mike Petrik 7

8 Every bird must be confirmed dead before being disposed of HAS ANYTHING IN THIS DISCUSSION ABOUT MADE YOU THINK ABOUT DIFFERENTLY? A. Yes B. No Yes No MASS DEPOPULATION The killing of a large number of birds, NOT for slaughter Requirements vary Planned vs Emergency More leeway if controlling disease or in emergency Social contract balance is shifted by the prevention of suffering Guidelines on killing chickens - Mike Petrik 8

9 PLANNED DEPOPULATION Methods for destroying entire flocks on-farm must be as humane as possible given the circumstances, and the need to balance the risk for further negative impacts on bird welfare Code of Practice AVMA and AAAP are in the process of finalizing the AVMA Guidelines for the Depopulation of Animals End of lay hens Male laying hens Excess broiler chicks EMERGENCY DEPOPULATION Disease outbreaks Barn Collapse, power outages, fire, etc Least restrictive requirements of any situation Preventing spread of disease or further suffering Each situation is unique, and a lot more think on your feet Ventilation shutdown, firefighting foam, etc are options to consider SUMMARY Standards surrounding killing of birds are changing We are under more scrutiny by a public that doesn t understand our industry They DO know what they value, however We NEED to be in alignment with the public s sentiment In general, we are being asked to show more respect for the individual bird Guidelines on killing chickens - Mike Petrik 9

10 SUMMARY We are doing a VERY good job at killing birds Mostly what we need to do is to minimize the mistakes Promote the things we do so the public feels comfortable with what we do Our biggest hurdle is the number of birds we look after The public has trouble understanding the scale of our farms We need to demonstrate how we can actually care for thousands of birds THANK YOU Any Questions? Guidelines on killing chickens - Mike Petrik 10