SPRING 2026 NEWSLETTER
VAFAW-Supported Language on Higher-Welfare Depopulation Methods Becomes Law
VAFAW was pleased to see the U.S. Senate and House Appropriations Committees included recommendations from VAFAW’s outside witness testimony in their funding package. Specifically, the report language directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture to “facilitate and invest in research of whole house gassing with nitrogen and high-expansion nitrogen-filled foam as methods of large-scale poultry depopulations, particularly during animal disease emergency response events.” This report language was signed into law on November 11, 2025, as part of a broad bill that funds multiple federal agencies. VAFAW’s testimony stresses that, in contrast to heatstroke-based depopulation methods, nitrogen-based depopulation methods, when properly implemented, better protect animal welfare by “rapidly inducing unconsciousness in animals without causing pain and with little to no distress.” The inclusion of the language shows congressional intent and will help advance research into higher-welfare methods of depopulation.
View the VAFAW testimony to the U.S. Senate and House Appropriations Committees (Subcommittees on Agriculture.
Report language from the House Agriculture Appropriations (see page 38) and the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee (see page 54)
For background, a VAFAW presentation on nitrogen-based depopulation methods is HERE.
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
Recap: One Health Perspectives on Preventing Bird Flu (February 10, 2026)
In VAFAW’s first webinar of 2026, two experts presented their perspectives on and experiences with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and its worldwide One Health effects. First, Dr. Thijs Kuiken, DVM, PhD, DACVP, from the Netherlands, enlightened listeners about how HPAI spread globally and into mammalian species, including humans, and the differences in poultry production and protein consumption in high- versus low-income countries. He outlined how HPAI is affecting animals, people, and the environment—a true One Health issue. But Dr. Kuiken ended with hope, providing big-picture response options and tips on how we can all do our part to mitigate the negative effects of intensive poultry production and disease. Next, Dr. Charles Martins Ferreira, DVM, of the French Embassy in Washington, D.C., offered a fascinating look at France’s HPAI vaccination program for ducks that began in 2023. In addition to reporting program results, he openly discussed the importance and details of surveillance programs and data recording systems and shared how program expenses were allocated and trade effects minimized. Dr. Martins Ferreira remains optimistic about the program’s positive effects and its future.
Watch a replay of the webinar HERE.
VAFAW Releases New Statement on Animal Welfare
VAFAW’s mission is: "To advocate for animals used in food and fiber production by providing a veterinary perspective grounded in animal welfare.” Yet, animal welfare may mean different things to different people or stakeholders. To clarify VAFAW’s conception of animal welfare, we created a statement incorporating the Five Domains model, ethics, and the importance of positive welfare.
Read the statement HERE.
New VAFAW Position Statement on Disbudding Calves
In December 2025, VAFAW released a new position statement addressing the disbudding of calves. Disbudding, when it is performed, should be carried out before the horn buds attach to the skull, preferably by or before two weeks of age. Appropriate pharmacologic relief of both procedural and post-procedural pain, including the use of local anesthetics and NSAIDs, should always be employed. VAFAW strongly encourages the use of polled genetics that would preclude the need for disbudding.
Read the position statement HERE.
UPCOMING CONFERENCES
VAFAW is a sponsor of the 2026 Dairy Cattle Welfare Symposium, and our Director of Education (Dr. Abby Zoltick) will be attending. The event is being held May 20 - 22, 2026 in Minneapolis. Topics of conversation will include welfare standards, cow–calf contact, pair raising, and social rearing. More details and registration are HERE.
VAFAW is headed to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Convention for the third year in a row. The 2026 event is taking place in Anaheim, California, from July 10 - 14, 2026. We would love to see you there! Stop by Booth #1666 to hear about the exciting work underway at VAFAW.
VAFAW ADVOCACY: SEEKING CHANGE
STAT News Publishes VAFAW Op-Ed Calling for Poultry Influenza Vaccination
VAFAW veterinary scientists Gwendolen Reyes-Illg and Ellen Carlin published a commentary in STAT News in January arguing that it’s past time for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to implement an influenza vaccination program for poultry. As we near 200 million birds dead or depopulated due to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), Drs. Reyes-Illg and Carlin asserted that depopulation is not working, necessitating a new approach. The virus continues to infect flocks, perpetuating economic harm and risk of viral spillover to people. Flock depopulation with inhumane methods like ventilation shutdown plus heat also perpetuates an avoidable animal welfare crisis. The USDA has circulated a draft vaccination strategy to certain stakeholders, but has not released it publicly nor announced a decision on whether or when it will be activated. VAFAW also submitted comments during a listening session of the USDA National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank (NAVVCB), calling on the USDA to utilize newly authorized funds to implement a vaccination strategy and stockpile poultry vaccines for HPAI. NAVVCB is a stockpile of veterinary vaccines and other countermeasures for high-consequence agricultural pathogens. VAFAW’s request for improved vaccination policies aligns with the NAVVCB’s goals to strengthen animal disease preparedness and response.
AVMA Finalizes Revised Depopulation Guidelines After VAFAW, Others Submit Comments
Read the op-ed HERE.
On January 30, the AVMA released its 2026 Guidelines for animal depopulation, which influence government policy on mass killing during disease control. VAFAW was encouraged to see some modern, higher-welfare methods included as “Tier 1” (preferred). However, we were dismayed that the new edition failed to adopt any of the recommendations included in a letter VAFAW submitted during the comment period on behalf of 868 veterinarians and veterinary students. The letter called for the reclassification of three poor-welfare depopulation methods to discourage their use: (1) heatstroke-based ventilation shutdown plus; (2) airway-occluding water-based foam, and (3) manual blunt force trauma. No reasons were specified for rejecting these evidence-based recommendations. VAFAW submitted over 100 technical comments on the draft Guidelines' introduction and farm animal chapters, highlighting errors, missing information, and overlooked research. Most were disregarded without explanation. Unlike government rule-making, which requires consideration of stakeholder comments and explanation of decisions, the AVMA Guidelines, which serve a similar function, are exempt from these requirements. Although the AVMA states that its depopulation Guidelines aim to ensure humane killing, the Guidelines lack a framework for assessing the animal welfare impacts of different methods. They often omit the method’s mechanism, associated affective states, and duration of poor welfare before animals lose consciousness. A new tier system effectively condones inadequate preparedness to justify the routine use of poor-welfare depopulation methods. In a press statement, VAFAW flagged shortfalls in transparency and stakeholder representation that compromise the legitimacy of the 2026 AVMA Guidelines and cautioned against their unconditional incorporation into governmental or industry policy.
VAFAW press statement, the sign on letter, and submitted technical comments are HERE.
USAHA Adopts Resolution Endorsing Nitrogen-Based Depopulation Methods
In November, several VAFAW leaders and members who are active on the Animal Welfare Committee of the US Animal Health Association (USAHA) helped advance a resolution requesting that the USDA improve accessibility of higher-welfare nitrogen-based depopulation methods. The resolution, unanimously approved by USAHA’s membership, notes the animal welfare concerns associated with ventilation shutdown plus (VSD+), a depopulation method that involves inducing fatal heatstroke in farm animals. It encourages the use of funding awards available through the National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program (NADPRP) to hasten a transition to high-expansion nitrogen foam and nitrogen whole house gassing when depopulation is ordered for control of highly pathogenic avian influenza. NADPRP is the means by which the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) funds projects that enhance preparedness for and response to emerging diseases that impact animals used in agriculture. Starting this year, NADPRP funding is being significantly increased to $70 million annually. In January, VAFAW participated in an APHIS listening session, during which the agency gathered stakeholder feedback on how to use the additional funding. VAFAW encouraged funding projects that would accelerate the transition toward higher-welfare nitrogen-based depopulation methods. We also recommended that funding not be used for the research and development of depopulation methods that unavoidably cause pain, distress, or suffering by virtue of their mechanism of killing, such as VSD+ and airway-occluding water-based foam. VAFAW recently launched a new webpage, Depopulation FAQs, intended to share our perspective on this challenging aspect of veterinary medicine.
U.S. House Ag. Committee Advances Farm Bill with Prop. 12 Preemption Language; VAFAW Launches Advocacy Platform
On March 5, the U.S. House Agriculture Committee advanced a reauthorization of the Farm Bill which included language that results in the preemption of some state laws that protect farm animals from extreme confinement. Section 12006 of the Farm Bill would prohibit states and local governments from "impos[ing], directly or indirectly, as a condition for sale or consumption, a condition or standard on the production of covered livestock unless the livestock is physically located within such state or local government." Covered livestock includes animals raised for human consumption and animals that produce milk-derived products. Egg-laying hens are not included. Iterations of Sec. 12006 had been previously introduced as the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act, the Food Security and Farm Protection Act, and the Save Our Bacon Act. VAFAW mobilized its members to advocate against inclusion of Sec. 12006 in the House version of the Farm Bill. VAFAW members who have a representative serving on the House Ag. Committee were recently encouraged to use our new advocacy platform to send a direct message to lawmakers. The bill now moves to the Rules Committee, and attempts are being made to have Sec. 12006 stripped out before the legislation is considered by the entire House of Representatives. The timeline for action is fluid, but a final vote could occur in coming weeks. If you are a VAFAW member based in the United States, stay tuned for an advocacy alert that details how you can make your objections to Sec. 12006 known. Leaders on the Senate Ag. Committee have said they do not plan to take up the House version of the bill. Senate language has not yet been released, and stakeholders (including VAFAW) are working to ensure the same problematic provision is not included.
VAFAW’s letter to members of the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture is HERE.
VAFAW Leaders Testify in Support of Colorado Bill to Ban VSD+
On February 24, the Modernizing Depopulation Act was introduced in the Colorado General Assembly by Assistant Senate Majority Leader Lisa Cutter. If passed, the bill would have made the use of heatstroke-based depopulation methods, such as ventilation shutdown plus (VSD+), unlawful in Colorado, following a 3-year phase-out period. The Colorado Department of Agriculture would be prohibited from authorizing the use of VSD+, and producers utilizing the method for disease containment would be ineligible for state indemnity payments to which they might otherwise be entitled. The bill was spearheaded by the Animal Welfare Institute, which invited VAFAW early in the process to provide veterinary expertise and join in stakeholder meetings. VAFAW endorsed the legislation and submitted both oral and written testimony. Along with several other veterinary colleagues and scientists, VAFAW veterinarians Ellen Carlin, Gwendolen Reyes-Illg, and Cheryl Kolus testified to committee members about the welfare concerns associated with VSD+ as well as the availability of higher-welfare methods and the need to incentivize preparedness to enable their use. Unfortunately, the bill was tabled while under consideration by the Colorado Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee. Senator Cutter opted to request that the bill be "postponed indefinitely," removing it from the legislative process entirely. This decision was made to avoid incorporating a hostile amendment that would have enshrined the use of VSD+, along with the AVMA and USDA policies that perpetuate it, into statute.
VAFAW Recommendations Incorporated into USDA Comments on WOAH Code
Last year, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) solicited comments for revision of Chapter 7.6 of its Terrestrial Animal Health Code. This chapter of WOAH’s animal health standards addresses welfare at the time of killing, when animals are killed for purposes other than slaughter. To participate in this process, VAFAW submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the federal agency that would transmit official comments from the United States to WOAH. VAFAW developed extensive, evidence-based line edits to the Code (tracked in red and followed by a rationale) designed to advance WOAH’s standards for end-of-life practices. The USDA incorporated many of our comments into its submission. These included language on the need for improved planning for large-scale killing, ensuring lessons are learned from mass killing events to reduce the use of inhumane killing methods in the future. Our comments regarding up-to-date considerations for the implementation of whole house gassing and high-expansion nitrogen foam were also incorporated. The USDA opted not to advance our evidence-based proposals related to water-based foam, and failed to eliminate ventilation shutdown with supplementation (VSD+) as an available option. VAFAW remains committed to reducing farm animals’ vulnerability to circumstances that may result in depopulation and to advancing higher-welfare methods when depopulation is deemed necessary.
A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
Norway to Phase Out Fast-Growing Chicken Breeds and Introduce In-Ovo Sexing in 2027
In January, Norway made a landmark commitment to animal welfare as the Norwegian Meat and Poultry Industry Association (KLF) and meat and egg producer Nortura SA announced plans to phase out fast-growing chicken breeds by the end of 2027 and reintroduce slower-growing varieties. Fast-growing chicken breeds are genetically selected for rapid weight gain, which can result in various health issues, including lameness, chronic pain, right-sided heart failure, and the inability to engage in natural behaviors. In severe cases, chickens can become immobile and suffer chemical burns from prolonged contact with their waste. To enable breeding birds to reach reproductive maturity, they are often kept in a state of constrained weight gain, leading to chronic hunger. Currently, 60% of the 70 million chickens slaughtered annually in Norway are from fast-growing strains, primarily the Ross 308, one of the most widely used broiler strains in the world. The joint industry statement also promises to end the practice of male chick culling, aiming to fully transition to in-ovo sexing by July of the same year. In Norway, more than 3 million day-old male chicks are killed annually. For reference, it is estimated that 350 million male chicks are culled each year in the United States.
VETERINARIAN PERSPECTIVE NEEDED
Colorado State University researchers are conducting an anonymous survey about experiences and attitudes related to farm animal depopulation and depopulation-related policy. All veterinarians - including those who have participated in depopulation events and those who have not - are welcome to participate. The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete and will be open until May 1.
WHAT CAUGHT OUR EYE
Flexible Use of a Multi-Purpose Tool by a Cow
Antonio J. Osuna-Mascaró and Alice M.I. Auersperg, Current Biology
If you're reading this, you probably agree that the cognitive abilities of farm animals--and most other animal species--are not fully understood nor appreciated. This video-based journal article highlights Veronika, the first experimentally studied cow to display tool use. Veronika picks up and uses a broom to scratch places on her body she can't easily reach otherwise. The authors conclude by stating, "Perhaps the real absurdity lies not in imagining a tool-using cow, but in assuming such a thing could never exist."
A recent research study assessed the addition of xylazine to lidocaine for local anesthesia. Investigators found that by simply adding a small amount of the sedative-analgesic drug xylazine to the lidocaine used for regional nerve blocks in cattle prior to flank laparotomy, the duration of local anesthesia was increased by an average of 50%. In addition, a mild sedative effect was observed in most treated animals.
Read the research study HERE.
Public Acceptability Of Standard U.S. Animal Agriculture Practices
Andrea Polanco, Faunalytics
In a survey of over 1,000 U.S. citizens, the majority (71–85%) believed that traditional agricultural practices for pigs, cows, and chickens were unacceptable, largely due to animal welfare and cruelty issues. Confinement was the most concerning problem, including battery cages for laying hens, gestation crates for sows, and high stocking densities in birds raised for meat. The practice of killing newborn male chicks was also highly opposed. Many states' anti-cruelty laws exclude agricultural “commonly accepted” practices, but public opposition opens avenues for legal challenges and policy reforms. The authors suggest that advocates should support laws that ban these practices and urge retailers and producers to convert to cage-free housing and in-ovo sexing.
Kelley McGill, The Brooks McCormick Jr. Animal Law & Policy Program at Harvard Law School
The Brooks McCormick Jr. Animal Law & Policy Program at Harvard Law School recently published a detailed legislative analysis of H.R. 4673, the Save Our Bacon Act, and its wide-ranging and potentially negative impacts. H.R. 4673, like its 2023 relative, the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression Act (EATS Act), seeks to grant the federal government jurisdiction over livestock and livestock product importation currently under state control. If passed, the effects of this law could create legal uncertainty and weaken state public health and animal welfare legislation. H.R. 4673 may also jeopardize essential disease control measures and disadvantage small farmers while encouraging regulatory rollbacks.
More details are HERE.
SPOTLIGHT ON VAFAW LEADERS
Our Leaders Share Their Expertise From the Podcast to the Podium
PODCAST: On January 23, VAFAW President and Co-Executive Director Dr. Gwendy Reyes-Illg and Board Member Jeff Hill shared their insights about depopulation on the Colorado State University Animal-Human Policy Center podcast. In an episode titled "When Emergency Becomes Policy: Rethinking Mass Depopulation in Animal Agriculture," they discussed policy drivers, animal welfare impacts, and humane alternatives. Depopulation methods, such as ventilation shutdown plus, carbon dioxide, water-based foam, and cervical dislocation, as well as newer, more welfare-friendly approaches, such as nitrogen-based methods and individual electrocution units, were explored. Whether you are new to depopulation practices or well-versed in the subject, the conversation offers an engaging, easy-to-understand overview of both established and emerging methods.
Listen to the podcast HERE.
PODIUM: On January 26, Jeff Hill, President of Livestock Welfare Strategies and VAFAW board member, presented on the nitrogen whole-house gassing method for depopulation at the 2026 United Egg Producers Board Animal Health and Biosecurity Committee meeting during the International Production and Processing Expo in Atlanta. Jeff explained how liquid nitrogen injected into barns displaces oxygen, causing birds to lose consciousness at around 8% oxygen. Unlike with carbon dioxide, birds remain calm when exposed to nitrogen, exhibiting natural behaviors, such as eating and preening, until they lose consciousness. Since 2020, trials at 55 facilities (layer operations, turkey farms, broiler and broiler-breeder farms) have achieved a mortality rate exceeding 99.99%. Future efforts will focus on system optimization, emergency protocols, euthanasia guidelines, and scientific publications. This method will greatly improve animal welfare during depopulation.
Read a recap of the presentation HERE.
PHILOSOPHER'S CORNER
By Kate Brelje, MA, PhD, VAFAW Philosopher In Residence. The cow Veronika, from the article in this newsletter’s What Caught Our Eye, surprisingly demonstrates the use of a tool to scratch herself. What’s so important about tool use? Philosophically, a lot! Tool use by animals is a common indicator of advanced intelligence. Not only can an animal respond to their environment and demonstrate preference, but by using a tool, they can also exercise more advanced agency, or acting on the environment. Tool use is associated with more “advanced” or “intelligent” animals, like apes, whales, and dolphins. In using a tool, an animal demonstrates creative problem-solving. For Veronika, her back or sensitive belly is itchy. She can’t reach these spots without some aid—her body doesn’t bend enough. She manipulates a broom with her tongue, mouth, and neck to scratch. Along with forming meaningful social relationships, tool use suggests that cows may deserve a higher moral status in light of these advanced capabilities. Some philosophers determine an animal’s moral status, or moral considerability, based on what that animal can do. Cows are proving much more capable of advanced cognition than humans give them credit for! When we underestimate someone, we risk injustice. In not appreciating their full capabilities, we may neglect ensuring they have the means for living a good life. According to Aristotle, the famous ancient Greek philosopher, living a good life is the ultimate goal for all living beings. By doing this, we fulfill our purpose. While the good life for a cow looks different from the good life for a person, knowing which capabilities we have is essential to ensuring that the road we pave for ourselves and animals can support our mutual flourishing and attain our good lives.
OUR IMPACTFUL WORK
What have we been up to and where are we headed?
Take a few minutes to watch this PowerPoint presentation for a recap of VAFAW’s impactful work to date and a preview of our strategic goals for the future.
VAFAW members are key to advancing the mission, and we want to share these important highlights with you!
Watch the presentation HERE.
A QUESTION FOR YOU
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