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RSPCA calls for urgent action on CO2 supplies
"The potential animal welfare impact of the ongoing shortage of CO2 for the stunning and slaughter for farm animals could have been appalling" - Chris Sherwood, RSPCA.
Charity says Government plans must be introduced swiftly to avert 'animal welfare crisis'.

Any delay to reinstating supplies of carbon dioxide could be ‘catastrophic for animal welfare’, the RSPCA has warned.

The animal charity says ‘the sheer volume of animals’ the UK is farming and the ‘increasingly intensive methods of husbandry and slaughter’ leaves 'no safety net for animal welfare'.

The comments come after the UK Government announced plans to increase supplies of carbon dioxide.

Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng announced on Tuesday (21 September) that the UK had reached an agreement with fertilser firm CF Fertilisers to ensure the continued supply of CO2 to UK businesses.

Fears had been raised that the shortage of CO2 could have a detrimental effect on animal welfare. The gas is used in the food industry to stun animals prior to slaughter.

RSPCA chief executive Chris Sherwood said: “The RSPCA welcomes the Government’s announcement that it is taking action to reinstate levels of CO2, the gas used to stun and kill farm animals at slaughterhouses, and urges them to ensure farming communities have enough supplies, quickly enough to resolve this urgent animal welfare crisis. Any delay to reinstating this supply could be catastrophic for animal welfare.

“The potential animal welfare impact of the ongoing shortage of CO2 for the stunning and slaughter for farm animals could have been appalling. We may have been in a situation where tens of thousands of pigs could have been shot on farms, without the appropriate facilities to ensure their welfare.

“For the hundreds of thousands of poultry, the potential scenario was shutting off the ventilation in their sheds, which is utterly unacceptable from a welfare perspective.

He continued: “This critical situation should also prompt us to be looking more closely at the ‘machinery’ of farming that we have created, and how we can ensure our husbandry systems are more resilient and protect the welfare of animals when issues like this emerge.

“The sheer volume of animals we are farming and the increasingly intensive methods of husbandry and slaughter mean there is no safety net for welfare. We need to learn lessons from this averted crisis and the one in 2018 and put robust back-up systems in place so there is resilience in supply chains and welfare is safeguarded.”

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.