Wednesday, 14 August 2024

Avian influenza

Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (18:54): (1055) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Agriculture, and the action I seek is for her to provide an update on the methods being used to kill farmed birds affected by pathogenic strains of avian influenza. Last month it was reported that more than a million chickens and ducks would be killed to halt the spread of bird flu, which has now reached at least seven farms in Victoria, making it Australia’s largest outbreak. The number of birds killed is more than double that in Victoria’s last outbreak in 2020. Typically farms required to kill large numbers of animals will engage in what the industry calls humane destruction and disposal, but we know that when it comes to intensively farmed animals there is no such thing. What is even more concerning is that due to a global shortage of CO₂ farms in the United States and Europe are being forced to use what veterinarians describe as the most inhumane methods available.

One of these barbaric practices involves spraying firefighting foam in the faces of birds, which kills them by slowly cutting off their air supply. As a last resort, which is often the case for ducks, who can hold their breath, farms are engaging in a process called ventilation shutdown. Basically, they shut off all air supply, and the animals die when temperatures inside their cages finally become catastrophic. This is a horrific death by heat stroke, organ failure or suffocation that has been likened to the experience of a dog who is left in a car on a hot day.

During the recent inquiry I chaired into pig welfare in Victoria it was found that CO₂, although common practice, can cause high levels of pain and stress. The Australian Veterinary Association in their evidence stated that every animal wants to protect themselves from suffocation. When CO₂ levels rise in the bloodstream it is inherently aversive, because the animal cannot breathe. The methods used to stun and slaughter farmed animals are hidden from public perceptions for a reason, and when they are happening to millions of animals instead of thousands of animals their suffering is intensified. So too is the likelihood of ineffective slaughter. Some animals might some survive their first and even their second attempt to be killed, and we have no way of ever truly understanding the suffering that this can cause.

It is not at all surprising that the government is not advertising the kinds of methods being used to kill birds in current outbreaks in Victoria, but if we are adopting faster and more inhumane methods in line with other countries, our consumers deserve to know this. I hope the minister can provide an update on how these birds are being killed.