RES 061 Draft 01 2024-2026 - Laserfiche WebLink

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J+SyiOF k1y COUNTY OF HAWAI`I STATE OF HAWAI`I rfOFN' RESOLUTION NO. G:1 25 A RESOLUTION URGING THE STATE OF HAWAI`I DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO CONSULT WITH LOCAL POULTRY FARMERS TO DEVELOP AN AVIAN FLU RESPONSE PLAN AND TO CONSIDER ALTERNATIVES TO DEPOPULATION AS A RESPONSE STRATEGY. WHEREAS, highly pathogenic avian influenza ("HPAI"), commonly referred to as "avian flu" or "bird flu," was first detected in the State of Hawaii on Oahu on November 15cn 2024, and later on Hawaii Island on December 2°a, 2024; WHEREAS, HPAI primarily infects wild and domestic birds, but has a higher mortality rate in certain species, like chickens, compared to others; and WHEREAS, the primary method of HPAI control in the United States is depopulation, also known as mass culling, in which all poultry collocated with an infected bird, including healthy birds and birds that have recovered from a previous infection, are killed, typically by shutting down ventilation and adding heat, causing death by heat exhaustion, or by suffocation with firefighting foam or carbon dioxide gas; and WHEREAS, many veterinarians and animal welfare experts have called these culling practices inhumane and encouraged the use of more humane methods to combat HPAI, including quarantining infected flocks, vaccination, and breeding disease -resistant poultry; and WHEREAS, domestic poultry is an important aspect of Hawai`i's food security and sustainability needs and, in some cases, can serve other ecological functions, such as insect and weed control; and WHEREAS, mass culling will negatively impact some of the State's bird populations more than others, notably ducks, which cannot be repopulated after mass culling because the importation of ducklings and duck eggs is prohibited; and WHEREAS, the United States Department of Agriculture ("USDA") allows states to consider their unique environmental and ecological characteristics in the development of an HPAI response plan; and WHEREAS, an HPAI response plan should be developed and put in place as soon as possible to mitigate the risks associated with infection of wild and domestic birds and potential spread to humans; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAI`I that this body hereby urges the State of Hawaii Department of Agriculture and Department of Health to work with local poultry farmers of all sizes from across the State to develop a comprehensive