Avian flu outbreak across the United States is now ravaging chicken farms in Sonoma County. Terry McSweeney reports.
There's an Avian flu outbreak across the United States. Now, the outbreak is ravaging chicken farms in Sonoma County.
More than 1 million birds, mostly chickens have had to be euthanized in the county since Thanksgiving , all because of an outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza or HPAI. It has resulted in tremendous hardship for family farms and employees.
Dayna Ghirardell, executive director of the Sonoma County Farm Bureau says consumers will soon be sharing the pain.
“There is going to be a shortage of eggs, there's going to be may be an increase in the price of eggs. I will tell you Sonoma county is not the only county that’s been hit. So, we as consumers are going to see the outfall of this horrible pandemic among the poultry industry,” she said.
There are already stores in Sonoma County that are completely out of eggs, though grocery stores NBC Bay Area checked with in other Bay Area counties were fully stocked.
Help may not be on the way. Proposition 12 approved by California voters in 2018 requires all imported eggs adhere to the state’s strict guidelines, which include larger cages for hens. Recovery may be slow.
Nationwide, more than 75 million birds in 47 states have been euthanized since the Avian Flu’s arrival in the U.S. in 2022.
Terry McSweeney has more in the video above.
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