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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0090.004 2024-2026From: Emma -Lei Gerrish Sent: Thursday, January 16, 2025 9:28 PM To: Council Testimony Subject: Public Testimony in support of Resolution 61-25 I would like to submit public testimony in support of Resolution 61-25:A RESOLUTION URGING THE STATE OF HAWAI1I 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. The USA has been using mass culling (killing) as the main response to bird flu (High pathogenic Avian Influenza). I do not agree with this method and I am hoping that alternatives will be considered here in Hawaii. I have lived in Hawaii my whole life and my family has a small farm in Paauilo. I have a flock of ducks that I raise for eggs. I sell eggs to the community. My ducks aren't just livestock, I work hard to keep them healthy and happy and enjoy spending time with them. As a small farmer and someone who loves my ducks, the government's current approach to bird flu is extremely discouraging. On the continental US, the main method of bird flu control is "Stamping Out" also known as mass culling, or depopulation. What this means is that if one bird tests positive in a flock, the entire flock will be killed. Even if birds have survived the virus, they will be killed. Even if birds did not have contact with the sick bird, they will be killed. I have even heard of newly hatched chicks who had no contact with any other birds on the property being killed. Other countries such as the Netherlands and France are using poultry vaccination to prevent bird flu, but unfortunately the USA has chosen to focus on "stamping out". I disagree with stamping out for several reasons. It is inhumane, ineffective, and there are more humane and sustainable alternatives. Mass culling is inhumane. Poultry are usually killed by cutting off ventilation and adding heat to their barns which causes death by heat exhaustion. Other times they are suffocated with firefighting foam or gassed with CO2. Some of these methods can take hours and none of them are 100% effective - which means some birds will survive the initial culling attempt and then will be killed by some other method. Then there is a psychological impact on the poultry owners who have their birds killed against their will. I consider it inhumane and un-American that our government is allowed to come onto our farms without our permission and kill our poultry. Poultry can and do survive bird flu. Although the official death toll for domestic chickens is around 90%, 1 would argue that we don't know the real death toll since whole flocks are killed by the government before the birds have a chance to recover from the virus. Domestic ducks and geese have a much better chance of survival. Some studies have found between an 0% to 60% death toll for ducks. Wild birds on the mainland also survive bird flu, and the survivors have some degree of immunity. This is how wild birds adapt to disease. Unfortunately, if all domestic poultry that survive bird flu are killed by the government, they will never have a chance to develop immunity and pass on this immunity to future generations. Mass culling is ineffective. It has not stopped the disease on the continental US or elsewhere in the world. It will not keep humans safe from disease either. Bird flu is already endemic in the wild bird population on the continental US, and it is widespread in dairy cattle. Culling domestic poultry will not stop the disease when these other sources o feidion exist. TL ^asc,: i I think that we should explore all alternatives to mass culling. Some of these include vaccination, quarantining infected flocks, and breeding disease resistant poultry. The USDA is stockpiling a bird flu vaccine for poultry and 1 hope it will be available to farmers soon. France and the Netherlands are already using vaccination to prevent bird flu. From what I understand, a state can request vaccine use and then the federal government will make a decision to authorize it or not. I hope that as soon as the vaccine is available, Hawaii will request to use it. It could help protect small farms, and our native birds. Quarantining infected flocks has been used for other variants of bird flu, and it is also being used in California for non-food producing flocks. Perhaps we could use the quarantine guidelines used in California to develop a quarantine plan in Hawaii. Quarantining flocks until they test negative will allow surviving birds to develop immunity, hopefully paving the way for healthier more resilient flocks. Another consideration is Hawaii's remote location and the difficulty of importing new breeding stock. It is illegal to import ducks into Hawaii so the ducks we have here are already a small gene pool. If entire flocks are culled, they cannot be replaced. Some taro farmers in Hawaii rely on ducks to eat invasive snails. Hawaii does not have to follow the current flawed approach - we can create a plan that keeps people safe, is humane to poultry, and supports small farms. Please support this resolution. Mahalo, Emma Gerrish