Bill > SB123

This bill, titled the "Modernizing Depopulation Act," prohibits poultry owners in Colorado from using ventilation shutdown and ventilation shutdown plus as methods for depopulating their flocks, which are defined as mass destruction of domesticated birds like chickens and turkeys for disease control. Ventilation shutdown involves sealing a building and shutting off fans to raise the temperature and cause death by heat stroke, while ventilation shutdown plus uses additional heat sources, humidity, or steam to accelerate this process. The bill declares that depopulation must be carried out as humanely as possible and opposes these specific methods in favor of higher welfare alternatives, making it unlawful for poultry owners to use them and for state agents to order, approve, or assist in their use, with these provisions taking effect on July 1, 2029.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/SB26-123