Evaluation of carbon dioxide administration for on-site mass depopulation of swine in response to animal health emergencies.

apid methods for on-site swine depopulation are re-quired in the event of an animal health emergency in North America. The term animal health emergency, as used in this context, includes a wide range of poten-tial situations such as disease outbreaks, contamination with chemicals (eg, dioxin) or radionuclides (eg, cesi-um-137), and adverse animal welfare conditions creat-ed by transportation restrictions that severely limit feed deliveries and animal movement. As described by the AVMA, mass depopulation refers to methods by which large numbers of animals must be destroyed quickly and efficiently with as much consideration given to the welfare of the animals as practicable, but where the cir -cumstances and tasks facing those performing depopu-lation are understood to be extenuating.