Research follows up on previous project that provided insight on using ventilation shutdown as a humane depopulation method.

September 27, 2017

2 Min Read
USPOULTRY Foundation approves $125,000 in new avian influenza research

The U.S. Poultry & Egg Assn. (USPOULTRY) announced that the USPOULTRY Foundation has approved $125,000 in additional emergency funding to support avian influenza research and communication.

The research is a follow-up study on a previously funded project (BRU007) where researchers provided insight on using ventilation shutdown (VSD) as a humane depopulation method. The study showed that the addition of heat and/or carbon dioxide to the VSD procedure provided a rapid and humane depopulation method.

The additional research will repeat these investigations using broiler chickens and turkeys, since the original research was completed with layers. The previous research summary and final report can be found on the USPOULTRY website at www.uspoultry.org.

Funding for the additional research was approved by the board of directors, based on recommendations from the USPOULTRY Foundation research advisory committee. The committee evaluates research proposals to determine their value to the industry and then makes recommendations to the board for funding.

The research information -- "Evaluating Broiler & Turkey Behavior & Physiological Stress Indicators during VSD with Additions of Heat or CO2 for the Development of Humane Methodologies for Mass Depopulation During a Disease Outbreak" -- will be conducted at North Carolina State University (research grant made possible, in part, by an endowing foundation gift from Prestage Farms).

USPOULTRY Foundation donations are from a wide range of poultry and egg companies, individuals and families to support the foundation’s mission of funding industry research and recruiting students into poultry careers.

USPOULTRY and its foundation operate an extensive research program incorporating all phases of poultry and egg production and processing. Since the inception of the research program, USPOULTRY and its foundation have reinvested more than $30 million into the industry in the form of research grants, with the International Poultry Expo -- part of the International Production & Processing Expo -- as the primary source for the funding. More than 50 universities and federal and state facilities have received grants over the years.

The USPOULTRY Foundation’s mission is to support the recruitment and training of the brightest students, seek and fund scientific research, foster student scientists and promote careers in the poultry and egg industry.

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