Aftermath of foam depopulation being used on a flock of turkeys with a few still alive, as often occurs.
Foam depopulation orfoaming is a means of mass killing farm animals by sprayingfoam over a large area to obstruct breathing and ultimately cause suffocation.[1] It is usually used to attempt to stop disease spread.[2] Foaming has also been used to kill farm animals after backlogs in slaughtering occurred during theCOVID-19 pandemic.[3] Foam depopulation has been used onpoultry andpigs and has seen initial research for use oncattle.[4] It has faced criticism from some groups. Some veterinarians have called it inhumane,[5] along with manyanimal rights andanimal welfare organizations who cite the pain caused by suffocation or the harm experienced by the stray survivors.[6][7]
This sectionneeds expansion with: How it is done, is the foam based on air or some other gas? What faomants are used? What bubble size?. You can help byadding to it.(September 2025)
Foam depopulation was developed in 2006 in response to a 2004 outbreak ofH7N2.[8] It received conditional approval the same year in the US by theUSDA-APHIS.[9]
In the2015 H5N2 outbreak in the US, foaming was the primary method used to kill poultry en masse with it employed at 66% of locations.[10] However, since 2019, foaming has increasingly been replaced in the US withventilation shutdown, a controversial method which relies on suffocation and heatstroke after shutting off airways into a building.[11]
In 2020, theCOVID-19 pandemic caused supply chain disruption and meat packing closures. This led to a backlog in slaughtering—leading to many locations using foaming or ventilation shutdown to mass kill farm animals outside of the typical slaughtering process.[3]
In late 2023,Cooks Venture ran out of money and asked theArkansas Department of Agriculture to foam ~1.3 million chickens. The stated reason was for bird flu. However, contract farmers claim their birds were killed even when they didn't test positive for bird flu and still had resources to keep them alive.[12][13]
Foam depopulation has been called inhumane by organizations such as theASPCA,[14]Animal Justice,[15] andMercy For Animals,[16] among others. Some veterinarians have also questioned the ethics of the method.[5] Concerns include the pain felt during suffocation and the stress or other effects on stray survivors seeing those who have died around them.[6][7]
Additionally, some researchers have raised environmental concerns about water-based foam's resource usage. Amounts vary, but using 30,000 liters of water to produce foam is typical. Water is usually the majority of the foam with foam concentrate making up 1% of it.[18]
While first developed in the United States, foaming has seen use elsewhere.[19] For instance, usage is common in Israel[20] and Australia.[21][22]
Some countries' governing bodies have also given support more directly to foam depopulation. For instance, theJapanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has purchased equipment for foaming that can be issued out.[23] The United States National Veterinary Stockpile maintains foam depopulation units as well.[24]
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