While vaccinating hens against bird flu might be good for egg prices, for the risk of a human pandemic and for hens affected by outbreaks, I can't help but worry that it might be a bandaid that allows us to avoid addressing the underlying issue of overcrowding that creates such a high risk of disease in the first place. Should we be concerned that this makes it easier to maintain the status quo of confining chickens in intensive farms? Or does this critique miss the mark because flu outbreaks aren't enough to motivate industry to address the underlying issue anyway..
I'm not sure what the underlying issue you're referring to is. I haven't seen evidence that higher stocking densities increase the incidence of bird flu, and if anything birds that have outdoor access are likely more susceptible due to higher risk of interacting with wild birds.
If you're concerned about motivating the industry to move in a better direction - given the severity of the current crisis, it's hard for the industry to focus on anything but bird flu. For example, having conversations about sourcing eggs from in-ovo sexing or cage-free is much harder when getting eggs of *any* kind is almost impossible.
It's my understanding that in the US, farmers who need to cull their flock due to disease outbreaks get reimbursed by the USDA. Does this crowd out the incentive for farmers to try to reduce outbreaks?
I haven't seen evidence that higher stocking densities increase the incidence of bird flu either. I was just referring to how confining animals (or people) in crowded conditions makes mass outbreaks of disease more likely. I thought this was just a basic fact of epidemiology but I've never looked at the primary research on this and might be completely off base.
Good point about the focus on bird flu making it hard to have conversations about other reforms. If my assumptions about the relationship between crowding and disease were true, then the focus on bird flu (absent a vaccine solution) might be able to motivate reduced stocking density? Or perhaps the cost of that is just too high..
https://youtu.be/XyX98bnDaow?si=jtN5e1glLhQxiT2h
Best source to follow for honest info!
Dr Michael Osterholm
CIDRAP
Center for infectious disease, research and policy
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/
*** Dr Michael Osterholm
CIDRAP
Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy
New podcast:
https://youtu.be/30XobOUArj0?si=o0r_YJOTAvhKlWH7
https://youtu.be/by0CvrQgosE
While vaccinating hens against bird flu might be good for egg prices, for the risk of a human pandemic and for hens affected by outbreaks, I can't help but worry that it might be a bandaid that allows us to avoid addressing the underlying issue of overcrowding that creates such a high risk of disease in the first place. Should we be concerned that this makes it easier to maintain the status quo of confining chickens in intensive farms? Or does this critique miss the mark because flu outbreaks aren't enough to motivate industry to address the underlying issue anyway..
I'm not sure what the underlying issue you're referring to is. I haven't seen evidence that higher stocking densities increase the incidence of bird flu, and if anything birds that have outdoor access are likely more susceptible due to higher risk of interacting with wild birds.
If you're concerned about motivating the industry to move in a better direction - given the severity of the current crisis, it's hard for the industry to focus on anything but bird flu. For example, having conversations about sourcing eggs from in-ovo sexing or cage-free is much harder when getting eggs of *any* kind is almost impossible.
It's my understanding that in the US, farmers who need to cull their flock due to disease outbreaks get reimbursed by the USDA. Does this crowd out the incentive for farmers to try to reduce outbreaks?
I haven't seen evidence that higher stocking densities increase the incidence of bird flu either. I was just referring to how confining animals (or people) in crowded conditions makes mass outbreaks of disease more likely. I thought this was just a basic fact of epidemiology but I've never looked at the primary research on this and might be completely off base.
Good point about the focus on bird flu making it hard to have conversations about other reforms. If my assumptions about the relationship between crowding and disease were true, then the focus on bird flu (absent a vaccine solution) might be able to motivate reduced stocking density? Or perhaps the cost of that is just too high..