Cooked rotisserie chickens are displayed for sale at a Costco store in San Francisco.
I’m out this morning with a feature that tugs on the heartstrings in some weird ways: There’s a tale of pet peacocks sent to auction and the baby ducks purchased for a grandson for Easter that had to get taken away. Why? In short, avian flu.
The highly contagious virus is ripping through flocks of chickens, egg-layers and turkeys across the globe. In America, some 15 million birds have already been killed. But the ramifications are very varied and complicated. An outbreak has erupted in Nebraska, where many of Costco’s chickens come from, and the supply of the retailer’s iconic rotisserie birds is threatened. Losses for Costco have so far been small overall, but because the virus spreads quickly through factory farms, many of the chain’s chickens are still in the danger zone.
As are other farmers. I spoke with Yolanda Bailey, who runs Fox Run Farms in Brainard, Nebraska, which her family has owned since 1899. The Costco-contracted farms moved in a few years ago, and since many are now close by, it’s too risky for her family to keep any poultry on their farm.
“The outbreak is in Costco-sponsored chicken houses, but the consequences of this outbreak will lead to a lot of economic pain for all the farmers involved, including those that have nothing to do with Costco,” she told me.
The way Costco and other factory farms raise chickens—in overcrowded and stressed-out environments—makes it easier for bird flu to spread. That's why research published in February by the investor network Farm Animal Investment Risk & Return, or FAIRR, which is based in the U.K. and backed by $48 trillion in assets, is concerning. The study found that 63% of the world’s 60 largest meat, fish and dairy firms were not taking steps to prevent the next pandemic from incubating on one of their farms. The United Nations, meanwhile, has reported that four of seven risk factors for the creation of pandemics are directly linked to the meat industry and rising meat consumption. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, three out of four emerging diseases are animal-born and can jump to humans.
Spring has already started—officially, anyway—but I’m just starting to see the signs of it here in New York City. This weekend I hope you enjoy some outdoor time, maybe in some dew.
Fresh Take: Costco’s Rotisserie Chicken Supply Is At Risk, Why Food Should Not Be Used As A Weapon, Grocery Workers To Strike (forbes.com)
