Wednesday,14 August 2024


Adjournment

Avian influenza


Georgie PURCELL

Avian influenza

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.