That’s how the Butler Eagle newspaper, serving Butler County, Pennsylvania, summarized the egg problem this week.
“High Egg Prices Show No Sign of Cracking”
Which would have been funny, if it weren’t so serious.
Here in Pagosa Springs, we don’t have a problem with high-priced eggs. We have no eggs, period. Nada. Zip. No eggs.
Some nutritionists have made the claim that eggs are ‘the perfect food’. To quote: “Given eggs’ nutritional value, a strong case can be made for referring to eggs as the perfect food or even a superfood.” Especially, eggs are known to preserve brain function in older people. We don’t want to think about what a frightening place a retirement community like Pagosa Springs could become, if this egg shortage continues.
The news media (an industry sector to which the Daily Post claims no affiliation) reported on the avian flu epidemic here in Colorado. Like this:
Farmers were still reeling from the added costs of the pandemic when the contagious avian flu began wiping out 85% of Colorado’s egg-laying chicken population in March…
Not completely accurate. The ‘avian flu’ didn’t wipe out 85% of Colorado’s egg-laying chickens. Humans wiped them out.
The state of Colorado has a low tolerance for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) , and if one of your birds tests positive, you are required to “euthanize” the entire flock.
Once the fast-spreading virus is detected in a facility — even if it’s just one case — all birds must be euthanized, ag department spokesperson Olga Robak told FOX31. Once the virus enters domestic poultry, there’s a 90-100% fatality rate, and Robak said euthanization is ‘more humane.’
That would include 4.7 million chickens euthanized in Weld County.
I seriously doubt the chickens, themselves, consider euthanization to be “more humane”, just because some careless hen on the other side of the farm tested positive. She probably refused to wear a face mask.
I bet nobody asked the chickens their opinion on euthanization.
And why the hell don’t we have a vaccine yet?
As can be seen in the map above, only eight Colorado counties have reported incidences of HPAI, and in five of those counties, the number of chickens bumped off, because this or that hen tested positive for HPAI, numbered less than 200.
That leaves 56 counties with no cases of HPAI.
So where are all the eggs?
The news media (no affiliation) would have us believe a flu virus is to blame.
But I blame the Colorado legislators, who are always trying to make life better, but keep screwing things up worse.
Starting in January — like, in three days — a Colorado law goes into effect requiring commercial egg producers to make hen pens roomier with a cage-free housing system.
On January 1, 2023, all eggs and egg products sold in Colorado must be compliant with HB20-1343, concerning confinement standards for egg-laying hens, and 8 CCR 1202-19 Rules pertaining to the Act.
Even if you run an egg farm in North Dakota, you can’t sell your eggs here unless you meet Colorado’s “confinement standards.”
Think about that for a minute. We already have a national housing shortage, and what do the legislators do? They demand bigger houses for chickens.
I am not suggesting that egg producers have thrown up their hands and simply given up. But what would you do, if you were a struggling egg producer and you’re suddenly required to build bigger houses for your chickens?
Even a strong person might crack.
Underrated writer Louis Cannon grew up in the vast American West, although his ex-wife, given the slightest opportunity, will deny that he ever grew up at all.