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Firefighting foam approved for AI chicken culls
The US government has reportedly approved using
firefighting foam to kill commercial chickens infected with the deadly bird flu
virus.
Water-based foam can be used to quickly kill large quantities of birds, as
an alternative to the traditional carbon dioxide, the
Agriculture Department was
quoted as saying.
The department's
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service was cited as saying
that gassing birds has various difficulties associated with it - more workers
are exposed to potentially infected birds, and maintaining an adequate
concentration of gas can also cause problems.
Foam can be used to suffocate 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 state or federal
officials deem it necessary.
Animal rights advocates argue against using the foam because there are more
humane methods.
Editor WorldPoultry
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