PIGS & PROSPERITY ▶▶▶
Mass depopulation A
cross the globe, 2020 was a difficult year for livestock producers. The global health crisis caused by Covid-19 left many of us in the live- stock industry both personally and professionally challenged in moving forward with day-to-day operations.
It is without a doubt that 2020 will be remembered in part for the difficult deci- sions made by producers to depopulate livestock on-farm. These depopulation events occurred primarily in the swine and poultry industries due to stop-move- ment events occurring downstream at packing plants, but we also witnessed depopulation of some of Denmark’s mink industry in an attempt to eliminate public health risk of SARS-CoV-2 variants. For those of us who were involved in the decision to depopulate, these tasks came with heavy hearts and emotions. As an animal welfare scientist and veteri- narian, I look back on these events and ask myself how we could have prepared better and what we can do better for the future. I look for these answers in science. One obvious reality regarding depopulation was that as an industry, we were not fully ready to implement depopulation on such a scale and that was likely because we didn’t have the science to guide us in making the best decisions. Work lead by Dr Andréia Arruda from The Ohio State University highlighted this very issue in a recent review article in the scientific journal Animals about de- population methods in swine. Dr Arruda and her team conducted a review study summarising depopulation methods available for swine and highlighted the gaps in knowledge that should be focused on for future research. The results from this study were clear: we just do not have enough information. In her work, Dr Arruda identified that the majority of research conducted on de- population events focused on using inhalable methods (e.g. CO2
) for depopulat-
ing swine, with little information about other important methods such as elec- trocution, captive bolt gun or oral formulations. In addition, limited to no research has been conducted on how depopulation methods influence worker safety and emotional health. As we move forward, our understanding of depopulation has improved given the on-farm experiences of 2020 and personal communication with the individuals making these decisions in a time of crisis. Never- theless, advancing depopulation methods cannot rely solely on personal experience alone. As a global industry, we must focus on funding and supporting re- search that scientifically validates depopulation methods that en- sure a quick and humane death for animals and takes into account the impact that these events have on worker safety and mental health. This will unfortunately not be the last time depopulation is required in a time of crisis, but my hope is that the science can lead the industry to make the best decision on depopulation that safeguards human safety and animal welfare.
Monique Pairis-Garcia Before joining North Carolina State University in 2019, Dr Monique Pairis-Garcia received her Doctor of Veterinary Medi- cine and Doctor of Philosophy degree from Iowa State Univer- sity with a focus in swine welfare and health. Her research inter- ests include pain management in livestock ani- mals.
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▶ PIG PROGRESS | Volume 37, No. 2, 2021
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