Foam depopulation or foaming is a means of mass killing farm animals by spraying foam over a large area to obstruct breathing and ultimately cause suffocation. It is usually used to attempt to stop disease spread.
Foaming has also been used to kill farm animals after backlogs in slaughtering occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. Foam depopulation has been used on poultry and pigs and has seen initial research for use on cattle. It has faced criticism from some groups. Some veterinarians have called it inhumane, along with many animal rights and animal welfare organizations who cite the pain caused by suffocation or the harm experienced by the stray survivors.
USA
Last week, health officials said Thursday that there’s no evidence bird flu is spreading between people after investigating a mysterious infection in Missouri.
The illness reported last month was different from the 30 other bird flu infections in people in the U.S. so far this year. Those cases have been in farmworkers who had contact with infected dairy cows or chickens.
There was no known contact with an infected animal in the Missouri case, but health officials said Thursday that’s the only remaining explanation.
“There is no evidence of person-to-person transmission,” said Dr. Demetre Daskalakis of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Let’s hope we don’t see foaming here.
USA. With the lie about bird flu, a decision was made to destroy all birds with chemical foam, and as you can see, it is being implemented by WHO.
— “Sudden And Unexpected” (@toobaffled) November 3, 2024
Most of humanity does not see these decisions ..https://t.co/G5VxEfQhIc pic.twitter.com/4jr0JgjtZ3
Water-Based Foam The Poultry Site
This method uses medium expansion water-based foam (similar to fire-fighting foam) to cover birds. The performance standards of the foam have been stipulated by the USDA-APHIS in the document, “USDA-APHIS Performance Standards for the Use of Water-Based Foam as a Method of Mass Depopulation of Domestic Poultry.” The foam lodges in the trachea of a bird and prevents it from breathing. While it may not be possible to characterize foam killing as euthanasia, the method has features which make it very attractive for mass depopulation in situations where there is physical or biological danger to humans. Since the foam spreads well and builds up easily to depths above the height of poultry, a floor-housed flock can be quickly killed. Only one person must enter the house to operate the foam generator. This person does not have to handle live birds and can finish the job with little threat to the integrity of PPE. The foam suppresses dust, and can be impregnated with antimicrobial agents. Unfortunately, the foam does not penetrate well into cages nor hold its consistency inside the cage, so the foam method does not appear be viable at this time for mass depopulation of commercial caged layer flocks. It may also be difficult to get medium expansion foam to build up on slats, particularly if these are raised above floor level, so the method may not be ideal for layer breeder houses or certain designs of cage free houses.