December 2021 Update

July 2021: AVMA Votes to Move VSD Discussion to “Expert Panel”

At the July 2021 Annual AVMA Convention, our petition was voted to be sent to an “expert panel” for “further consideration.” No additional details were offered and we have received conflicting reports on what group or committee may or may not review the issue of ventilation shutdown. Our primary concern is that reclassifying VSD is effectively set to “die in committee” by the AVMA leadership.

We continue to work with our allies within the AVMA and AVMA HOD to take more assertive action. As African Swine Fever (ASF) threatens our nation’s pig farms, the fear is that ventilation shutdown will be used, despite conflicting evidence on its effectiveness and ability to provide a humane death.

Dr. Temple Grandin Opposes VSD and Offers Alternative

Grandin authored an article in the March 2021 scientific journal “Animals” expressing her concerns about poor animal welfare and inability to properly retrofit or equip pig barns to perform VSD+ in accordance with the AVMA Depopulation Guidelines.

Dr. Grandin is also in agreement with VAVSD and others that the AVMA should provide clarification on their definition of “permitted in constrained circumstances.” Clarification would provide food animal producers clear guidance on what conditions animal depopulation would be acceptable by AVMA experts. She writes:

“According to the depopulation guideline, this method should only be used in “constrained” circumstances. The use of this terminology does not provide clear guidance. The author recommends that some examples of constrained circumstances where ventilation shutdown plus may be justified should be added to the AVMA depopulation guideline. One example would be a foreign animal disease. There were many critical articles in the news media about the use of ventilation shutdown plus causing suffering. A recent review of the scientific literature on swine depopulation stated that “none of the published studies demonstrated an ideally reliable and safe way to induce rapid unconsciousness in large groups of pigs.”

Grandin proposes several “practical recommendations that would be reasonably easy to implement if a large numbers of pigs (sic) have to be depopulated on a farm.” It is important to note that none of her proposals include any form of ventilation shutdown.

“If large numbers of pigs have to be euthanized on the farm, a portable electrical stunning system may be the best option. It can maintain the same high welfare standards that are required for electric stunning in a slaughter plant.”

“In the short-term, a portable electrocution unit that uses scientifically validated electrical parameters for inducing instantaneous unconsciousness, would be preferable to some of the poor killing methods.”

More importantly, Grandin advises pig farms to immediately begin preparing for foreseeable emergencies such as an African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak that would require rapid killing of large numbers of pigs. Her conclusion is that by planning ahead, pig producers can avoid many of the reasons that resulted in the use of ventilation shutdown to kill large numbers of pigs.

AVMA Meeting January 6-9, 2022

Many colleagues will be attending the 2022 AVMA Veterinary Leadership Conference in Chicago, Illinois January 6-9. If you’re able to join, visit the Our Honor website for details. Financial assistance may be available.

From their email:

“Over 600 leaders in the veterinary profession are expected, so this is an important event for us to network and advocate for a more compassionate food system.

We would love to get together with like-minded colleagues, discuss this topic and invite our colleagues and leaders to join in the discussion. Have you thought about coming?

We will be wearing buttons and matching accessories to show our unity about this issue, and inviting our colleagues to join us.”

In addition, we’ve been working with several animal welfare organizations to create a series of op-eds and press releases to raise media awareness during the AVMA meeting.

VSD Presentation at VMX 2022

As part of the Virtual VMX 2022, VAVSD co-founder Dr. Ernie Ward will be presenting “What Do Ventilation Shutdown And Dogs In Hot Cars Have In Common? The Veterinary Oath.” The lecture is part of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) Animal Wellness and Welfare Committee VMX track. Attendees will be able to view the recorded presentation and download Dr. Ward’s manuscript detailing ventilation shutdown.

Please continue to share the online petition with veterinary colleagues and animal advocates. Your voice is making a difference in the lives of countless animals in need.

Please continue tagging your social media posts: @AVMAvets #VetsAgainstVSD #EndVSDNow. 

• You can share or repost content from our VAVSD accounts:

  • Twitter - @VetsAgainstVSD

  • Instagram - @veterinarians_against_vsd

  • Directly from VAVSD.org