Bird flu puts organic chickens into lockdown

Officials say keeping egg-laying hens inside is safest for now

Organic and free-range chickens have been thrown into lockdown. Egg-laying hens that normally have access to the outdoors can no longer roam as freely or feel the sun on their beaks as some US and European farmers temporarily keep flocks inside during lethal outbreaks of bird flu, according to egg producers and industry representatives.

The switch comes as a surprise to shoppers already shelling out more money for eggs due to callings of infected flocks.

Consumers pay extra for speciality eggs, thinking they come from hens that can venture out of barns.

Food inflation

US watchdogs say retailers and egg companies must do a better job informing customers that hens are kept inside, as shoppers track their spending amid record food inflation.

Keeping birds inside is safest for now, according to government officials, because a single case of bird flu results in entire flocks being culled. The virus can also infect humans, though experts say the risk is low.

In France, where the government has temporarily required farmers to keep chickens indoors since November, some retailers are defying obligations to post clear information for consumers about the mandate, according to checks of grocery stores.

“I didn’t know that they had to stay inside,” said Josephine Barit, 34, a shopper at a small Paris store. Allowing chickens time outside is thought to be more humane, giving consumers some peace of mind about buying animal farm products.

The US outbreak is the second-worst in history, with more than 35 million birds wiped out this year. France has culled nearly 16 million birds in its worst outbreak ever. Veterinarians say poultry with outdoor access are particularly vulnerable to becoming infected with bird flu, officially known as highly pathogenic avian influenza or HPAI, because migratory birds spread the disease.

The US Department of Agriculture recommends farmers keep poultry indoors “as long as the HPAI outbreak is ongoing,” but has not required confinement.