ANIMAL WELFARE GROUP SLAMS CFIA OVER AVIAN FLU CULL; DESPITE INDICATION THAT ; HUMANE METHODS WEREN'T FOLLOWED, CFIA HAS FAILED TO ACKNOWLEDGE A PROBLEM
JIM ROMAHN, ONTARIO FARMER STAFF ,Ontario Farmer, 29 March 2005

British Columbia's birds were killed by inhumane methods, the Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals based here says in an open letter to federal Agriculture Minister Andy Mitchell.

What really angers the coalition is the self-assessment report from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency that indicates there were no problems with the slaughter. It is calling for a public inquiry.

"Our research led us to conclude that the CFIA was not, in fact, using the most humane method available and there were issues regarding the accountability of those present during the 'depopulation' of infected farms, and later, the culling of birds within the quarantined area," the coalition has written to Mitchell.

"While some problems may have been unavoidable in this unprecedented and less than ideal situation, the apparent reluctance of the CFIA to address the animal welfare issue means they will not learn from their mistakes," says the coalition.

"This could result in mistakes being repeated next time. This is unacceptable."

The coalition also indicates the CFIA lied. "In spite of what we were initially told by the CFIA, there was no British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals representative present at any time" during the slaughter, the coalition says.

More specifically, the coalition says the CFIA should have used nitrogen gas instead of carbon dioxide to euthanize the birds.

It also says slaughter plans ought to be appropriate to the species involved. "Thousands of ducks were exposed to CO2 (carbon dioxide) three to four times before finally dying, in spite of published standards from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of California, Davis, which state that CO2 is unacceptable for waterfowl," the coalition wrote.

"Chickens that survived the gassing were 'clobbered with sticks' to finish them off.

"Thousands of pigeons were unnecessarily killed, even though research shows that pigeons do not transmit the avian flu virus," the coalition says.

The coalition says it wrote to the CFIA in April, last year, to ask for "an independent, third-party veterinarian, preferably appointed by the BCSPCA, to be present at all depopulations."

It also asked "that the CFIA videotape each procedure to provide assurance that the birds were dying with a minimum of suffering and to ensure that any mistakes would not be repeated."

The coalition also notes that animal welfare issues were not raised in meetings to talk about the crisis at Kitchener, Ont., in August and at Abbotsford, B.C., in October.

The coalition says that in addition to a public inquiry, "the CFIA should review its response in consultation with Canadian and worldwide experts in poultry welfare, including, but not limited to, Dr. Ian Duncan of the University of Guelph, Dr. Victoria Bowes, avian pathologist for the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Mohan Raj, senior research fellow at the School of Clinical Veterinary Science at the University of Bristol and representatives from the local humane community."

It wants those consultations to lead the CFIA to reassess slaughter by carbon dioxide in comparison with gas mixtures, such as carbon dioxide with nitrogen, carbon dioxide with argon or nitrogen alone.

It also wants the CFIA to develop standard operating procedures that take into account the various species and for the CFIA to develop a list of avian species that do not transmit avian influenza so they can be excluded from future eradication programs.

It wants attention to backyard flocks with a view to leaving those that pose no threat of infection.

And it wants a third-party, independent representative from the humane community to be present at slaughters and a protocol for videotaping the slaughter.