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USDA Slammed For Slow Suffocation In Bird Flu Culls

Domestic turkeys mill about in a holding pen

Some 400,000 chickens and turkeys on 10 commercial farms in Indiana were killed last month to contain an outbreak of avian influenza.

Some of those birds – the USDA has not revealed how many – were killed using a method known as "ventilation shutdown," which raises the air temperature to at least 104 degrees and causes death from heat stroke and suffocation.

Animal right groups condemn the technique, which can prolong suffering hours longer than other techniques.

The USDA approved the method for the first time last fall, calling it a "last resort" when no other methods are available to kill birds within the required 24-hour period.

The preferred methods involve using carbon dioxide gas or covering the birds with suffocating foam, which kills the birds in a few minutes.

But USDA officials say the water-based foam could not be used in Indiana's cold temperatures. Gassing is often impractical on chicken farms where birds are stacked vertically in cages.

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