CO2 Whole-House Gassing
A high capacity on-farm depopulation solution for large-scale disease outbreaks.
Whilst there are numerous methods of on-farm depopulation, Whole-House Gassing (WHG) is a quick solution for culling large flocks rapidly to prevent the spread of infectious diseases such as highly-pathogenic avian influenza and Salmonella.
In order to euthanise birds and undertake emergency mass depopulation of poultry in a whole shed, the WHG system introduces carbon dioxide gas, increasing concentrations to above 45% and reduces oxygen concentrations to below 10%.
What is the CO2 Whole-House Gassing System?
Injection system
Livetec have devised a multi point release system to improve the distribution of gas within the building and reduce the risks associated with a single lance delivery system.
A temporary ring main is set up with hoses and release points in a loop within the shed. The release of CO2 is directed upwards and away from the birds. The system also creates less dry ice, reducing the time taken for the building to be ventilated after gassing.
Multipoint gas monitoring system
The system measures and records gas concentrations at 10 locations within the shed while other sensors measure the temperature. A temporary CCTV system is established with cameras both inside and outside the shed so that the behaviour of the birds can be observed for any indication of stress within and external areas of the shed can be monitored for safety.
Effective WHG, undertaken by our
experienced operations team
An on demand contracted service for efficient large scale culling as needed,
provided by leading depopulation and biosecurity experts dedicated to reducing disease spread.
Why choose Livetec?
- Range of services including training, advice, and full end-to-end support
- As little as 24-hour emergency response
- We cover all areas of the UK and Ireland
- Support in developing best practice depopulation protocols
- Deployment of the latest approved Whole-House Gassing operations
- All necessary equipment and resources included
- Scientifically validated, high animal welfare and humane depopulation techniques
Creating the CO2
Whole-House Gassing system
The Scottish Government funded project was launched in 2006 to develop an innovative
new solution that would maximise bird welfare while simultaneously reducing
the need for human input to protect farmer health and wellbeing.
The project was a direct response to the 2003 bird flu outbreak in the Netherlands, where the inability to cull infected birds in a timely manner resulted in the infection of more than 1000 people with the H7N7 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza, and the mixing of infected and healthy poultry which resulted in multiple preventable animal deaths.
Despite the devastation in Europe, by 2006, only one gassing solution for large-scale emergency depopulation had been approved for use in the UK: containerised gassing.
Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) developed a technique that addressed the primary concern of this method: manual handling that could expose workers to disease and increase the level of distress experienced by livestock. Following multiple trials, SRUC’s WHG technique was approved by the UK Government for a range of housing types.
Today, the process that we at Livetec use is an evolution of this system based on our own in-house research and development, designed to support the needs of our clients as they build strategic emergency response strategies.
The benefits of using the CO2 Whole House Gassing:
- Monitoring: Enhanced monitoring capabilities due to the multipoint gas system, measuring gas concentrations at 10 locations within the shed
- Rapid deployment: Portable and mobile, with minimal set up time required regardless of farm layout
- Culling with care: Safe, controlled, and humane way to cull large flocks without the need for labour-intensive handling
- Multi species: The most effective solution for large-scale despatching of poultry
- Scalable: Can be quickly ramped up to any scale, allowing for a higher volume of animals to be processed Improves welfare
- Constant: CO2 injection to ensure effective and humane depopulation, with birds falling unconscious within minutes of activation
- Easy to clean and disinfect: Ensuring the highest level of biosecurity can be easily maintained
- Reduces disease spread: Doesn’t break livestock skin and eradicates concern over human handling contributing to disease spread, whilst reducing stress on livestock producers and handlers
- Reduces ventilation time: The system creates less dry ice, reducing the time needed for ventilation after gassing
