Shucking Oysters: The Sky is Falling
By Alex Allen
We humans have a tendency to avoid the unpleasant; to look the other way or not even look at all. But today, it’s never been more important for us to pay attention. No more so than when we’re reading the news. Cursory narratives. Opinions over facts. The devil in the details. Everything is not always what it seems.
For instance, have you heard about the HPAI? Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza? In Canada thousands of wild birds and millions of poultry have been infected or died from H5N1 since the outbreak began in early 2022. In the US in 2024 alone, over 10,000 wild birds and 103 million poultry have been affected. And this influenza is not just for the birds.
Since the H5N1 bird flu virus was first reported in the US last August, over 300 dairy herds and 16 people – all dairy workers – have been infected. (So far all of those who’ve tested positive have only mild, flu-like symptoms.)
At one massive poultry facility in Colorado, workers were infected while culling infected birds. Local health authorities described the conditions: “they struggled to properly wear protective equipment over their mouth, nose and eyes as they handled thousands of sick birds in a sweltering barn, with industrial fans blowing feathers and other potentially virus-laden material into the air.”
All the human infections occurred in “heavily virus contaminated, high virus dose environments,” in other words, factory farms. UN bodies, academics and epidemiologists have long recognized the link between the emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses and increasingly intensive poultry farming. More than half a billion farmed birds have died or been culled globally due to bird flu since 2021. Many were broilers confined in factory farms where they are crammed so closely in huge sheds that they can barely move, or egg-laying hens that live confined in cages the size of a car battery.
The congregation of susceptible farm animals in “concentrated animal feeding operations” can lead to avian influenza viruses, hepatitis E virus, and so many unpronounceable diseases. These CAFOs are built for only one purpose: to house as many animals as inhumanely possible.
Senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs at the National Chicken Council, Ashley Peterson claims that criticism of confined farming practices is “the work of vegan extremist groups who are latching on to an issue to try and advance their agenda.” (Or Keto Communists.)
Wild birds are routinely blamed by governments and industry for spreading avian flu along migratory routes, but it’s clear that factory farms are Petri dishes for more and more deadly viruses. Rob Wallace, an American virologist warns that the new strains are continually adapting to intensive poultry production. “Influenza’s infiltration into industrial livestock and poultry is so complete that these farms now act as their own [disease] reservoirs,” he says. “They are their own source.”
Meanwhile, at the beginning of October, the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science hosted a four-day International Avian Influenza and One Health Emerging Issues Summit in Louisiana, with researchers, veterinarians and private sector professionals from 51 countries.
Guillermo Tellez-Isaias, the chairman, opened with a cheery note: “The highly pathogenic avian influenza virus has naturally been able to adapt to species that it never infected before. If it fully adapts to humans, COVID-19 will look like a small cold compared to what this virus could cause.”
Not one presentation touched on the inhumane factory conditions contributing to the horrific suffering and disease. Instead, attendees learned about: Breeding chickens to conserve water while maintaining growth under heat stress. Strategies for salmonella control in poultry production at feed mills. Management practices to mitigate lameness caused by bacteria in broiler chickens.
And up in Virginia coincidentally, the International Bird Flu Summit was taking place. Here the agenda was somewhat different. Among the workshops: Direct Fatality Management Tactical Operations. Handling Panic and Maintaining Public Order. Managing Surge in Crime During Pandemic. Controlling Social Unrest and Public Disorder. Implementing Isolation Measures in Correctional Facilities. Managing Traffic and Transportation during Crisis. Conducting Mass Vaccination Efforts. Enforcing Quarantine Measures Effectively.
No really, the sky is falling.