TUCKER, Ga. — The unprecedented loss of laying hens from highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) during the past year is spurring the poultry industry to improve on how birds are disposed of after decolonization.

The USPOULTRY Foundation issued a call for research pre-proposals that help guarantee HPAI does not spread during disposal.

"The recent avian influenza outbreak has shown that current disposal methods may be inadequate for rapid depopulation and disposal on large farms," stated the group. "Innovative methods are needed for rapid, safe disposal of the carcasses and manure."

Because of the potential for contamination of natural resources, dead animal disposal laws are usually regulated by state departments of natural resources. Foam depopulation can be used to euthanize birds and eliminate the HPAI virus. Incineration and composting may also be used to safely dispose of birds after a large decolonization.

Foam depopulation, however, requires large amounts of water – which may not always work in the upper Midwest’s freezing temperatures. Composting requires large amounts of carbon sources, such as wood chips and corn stover. Local supplies of these products can be depleted in mass depopulations.

Composting temperatures must reach certain levels to deactivate the HPAI virus.

Incineration is an option, but incinerators are not always widely available, especially those that can handle high volumes from large farms. Birds may also be buried or disposed of in landfills, but transport of carcasses poses risk of virus spread.

In early May, a private landfill owner in eastern Nebraska denied federal authorities permission to dispose of poultry carcasses there, citing concerns from Nebraska authorities wishing to minimize the chance of HPAI in Nebraska.

The USPOULTRY call emphasizes validating that the disposal method inactivates the avian influenza virus. It also calls for proposals to evaluate the potential of spread of the virus during carcass and manure disposal process.

More information is available at the group’s website, www.uspoultry.org/research