UPDATE: This story was updated to reflect the correct spelling of The Back Forty Farm and location of Rose Acre Farms.
Outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, across the country have caused the price of eggs to surge and are raising alarm bells for consumers.
Bird flu has now hit close to home; late last month, birds at Rose Acre Farms in Seymour, Indiana, 40 miles east of Bloomington, tested positive for the bird flu. According to the Indiana State Board of Animal Health, 2.8 million birds, which are raised for eggs, were impacted.
“We are working with the Indiana State Board of Animal Health and the state veterinarian on best practices to combat the risk of spreading avian influenza to other birds,” Amanda Gee, a Rose Acre corporate representative, said in a statement to the Indiana Daily Student.
Bird flu is a contagious viral disease found in both domestic and wild birds, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Highly pathogenic avian influenza, which the current strain of bird flu is, typically kills 95-100% of a flock. It is deadly for birds but presents a low risk to humans. The CDC reports that there have been 68 total human cases in the United States and one human death. Of these cases, 64 occurred in dairy and poultry workers, and no cases have been linked back to eating eggs or poultry.
Outbreaks in bird flu at farms across the country have caused egg prices to skyrocket. Prices are nearly 50% higher than they were one year ago, peaking at $5.29 for just a dozen eggs on the week of Jan. 18. Waffle House even announced a surcharge on eggs last week to cope with the rising costs.
Prices for eggs from local farms have largely remained the same. Andrea Jackson of The Back Forty Farm in Spencer, Indiana says local vendors in Bloomington don't typically adjust prices unless feed prices change.
“It probably would make sense for us as egg vendors locally to sell and change prices with supply, but we just don’t. So, I haven’t changed my prices because of bird flu,” she said.
Despite the outbreaks, experts say eggs are still safe to eat.
“Avian influenza does not present a food safety risk,” Denise Derrer Spears, public information director at the Indiana State Board of Animal Health, said. “Cooked poultry and eggs and pasteurized dairy products are safe to eat.”
All commercial farms are conducting regular testing for bird flu before shipping out their products, Spears said.
“If there is a detection of the avian influenza, all of the products and poultry on that farm are diverted and completely disposed of,” she said.
Spears said she cannot guarantee safety if consumers get their eggs from non-commercial farms such as a neighbor, farm stand or farmers market. However, she reminded consumers that cooking will kill the virus if it is present.
Additionally, commercial farms are engaging in stringent biosecurity tactics to stop the virus from infecting their chickens, Spears said.
These measures include requiring workers to change shoes or wash their hands before entering barns, limiting passage of people or vehicles in and out of barns and minimizing contact with wild birds who could be infected with the virus. Many farms also require trucks to be washed before entering their facilities and require outside workers to stay in the truck while products are loaded.
“Commercial poultry producers are really working very hard to prevent this virus from entering their farms,” Spears said. “They have a lot at stake.”
A similar outbreak of bird flu in 2022 killed more than 180,000 birds in Indiana, according to The Indianapolis Star. That outbreak caused similar spikes in egg prices and is the same strain of bird flu, H5N1, as the current outbreak.
Cassandra Greenya, an egg category manager for national egg provider Dutch Farms, headquartered in Chicago, said bird flu can be devastating to farms. Detection of a single infection in a farm can impact millions of birds. Once bird flu is detected, a farm must kill all their birds, clean the facilities and start fresh again with new baby birds.
“It can take up to six months before a farm is ready to produce again,” Greenya said.
Local non-commercial farms are following many of the same biosecurity guidelines as commercial farms. Jackson says she wants to be proactive to ensure the health of her hens and customers.
“We can’t control what flies over our property, but I do have livestock guardian dogs that already guard my chickens from air predators,” she said.
According to the CDC, bird flu has infected more than 100 species of wild birds around the world. The USDA reports infections in several species of mammals, including dairy cattle. However, Spears said consumers should not be concerned when eating dairy or beef.
“Pasteurization does its job and kills off any flu virus that may be present and proper cooking ensures you’re not going to have exposure through meat,” Spears said.
The only time she urged caution is when feeding pets raw or undercooked meat as well as raw dairy products.
The Indiana State Board of Animal Health is tracking all current cases and is asking that all sick or dead poultry be reported in an online reporting form.
Greenya reiterated that bird flu should not stop consumers from eating their favorite breakfast food.
“Keep eating eggs!” Greenya said. “And hope the price goes down.”
Editor’s note: Cassandra Greenya is related to a writer currently on staff at the IDS. That writer was not involved in the writing or editing of this story.
