Bird flu devastates California farms; outbreak affects poultry industry

PETALUMA, Calif. (AP) — Last month, Mike Webb received the news every poultry farmer fears: His chickens tested positive for bird flu.

Under government regulations, Weber’s company, Sunrise Farms, must cull its entire flock of 550,000 chickens to prevent the disease from spreading to other chicken houses in Sonoma County, north of San Francisco.

“It’s painful. We’re all sad about it,” Weber said, standing in the empty chicken coop. “Petaluma is known as the egg basket of the world. “It was shocking to see that basket of eggs engulfed in flames.”

A year after bird flu drove egg prices to record highs and led to widespread shortages, the disease caused by the highly pathogenic avian flu virus has caused chaos in California, a state that survived the first wave of the outbreak that devastated U.S. poultry farming. field. American Midwest.

The highly contagious virus has devastated Sonoma County, where authorities have declared a state of emergency. About a dozen commercial farms have had to cull more than a million poultry over the past two months to control the outbreak, dealing a severe economic blow to farmers, workers and customers.

Merced County in central California has also been hit hard in recent weeks, with outbreaks at several commercial egg farms.

Experts say ducks, geese and other migratory birds can spread bird flu. Waterfowl can carry the virus without getting sick and can spread it easily through feces on chicken and turkey farms, as well as between poultry through feces and nasal secretions.

California poultry farms have implemented strict biosecurity measures to slow the spread of disease. California veterinarian Annette Jones urged farmers to keep poultry indoors until June, including organic chickens that need access to the outdoors.

“The migration season will last another two months. So we must be as vigilant as possible to protect our birds,” said Bill Matos, president of the California Poultry Federation.

The loss of local chicken around the holidays sent egg prices soaring in the San Francisco Bay Area until supermarkets and restaurants found suppliers outside the area.

Although bird flu has been with us for decades, the current outbreak of the virus, which began in early 2022, has led authorities in 47 U.S. states to cull about 82 million birds, mostly laying hens, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Wherever the virus is found, all birds are culled to help limit its spread.

The price of a dozen eggs more than doubled, peaking at $4.82 in January 2023. Prices for the product returned to normal ranges as egg producers restored flocks and kept prices under control. Turkey and chicken prices have also increased, in part due to the virus.

“I think this is an existential issue for the commercial poultry industry. Currently, this virus has been found on every continent except Australia,” said Maurice Pitesky, a bird expert at the University of California, Davis. . “

Pietsky said climate change increases the risk of outbreaks because changing weather patterns disrupt the migration patterns of wild birds. For example, last year’s unusual rainfall created new waterfowl habitat across California, including areas near poultry farms.

In California, the outbreak has affected more than 7 million chickens in about 40 commercial flocks and 24 domestic flocks; most of the outbreaks have occurred in the past two months on the North Coast and Central Valley, according to the USDA .