The online rumor mill is at it again, claiming that feed producers are intentionally modifying their layer products to decrease egg production and drive-up egg prices. We in the poultry industry know that avian influenza is the real culprit.
Conservative commentator Candace Owens fueled the conspiracy theory on Instagram, posting that “If you are a farmer, stop feeding your animals with Purina feed. After investigating I am convinced that they could be behind the issue with hens not laying eggs. Entirely feasible that a corporation would poison animals to increase their profit margins.”
Some social media posts even alleged that Bill Gates is to blame, suggesting that plot to increase egg prices began over 10 years ago when the philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder first invested in plant-based meat, according to The Poynter Institute.
Conspiracy theory debunked
The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) was quick to debunk the feed-egg conspiracy theory in a blog post.
“Like consumers, feed manufacturers are feeling the effects of inflation on the economy and are paying increased rates for energy, shipping, labor and ingredients, among other things. While they are doing their best to minimize the impacts to farmers as much as possible, some price increases are unavoidable due to the average 6.4% inflation hike,” AFIA wrote.
AFIA also listed several factors that could be to blame, notably the onset of parasite and viruses, such as the current outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
The real culprit: HPAI
The poultry industry is currently experiencing one of the most devastating HPAI outbreaks in history. Layer farmers, in particular, were hard hit this go round.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), 30 flocks totaling 43.3 million table egg layers have been depopulated due to HPAI through December 25 in 2022. No layer egg cases have been confirmed so far in 2023.
“On average, during the 2015 HPAI outbreak, for every 1% increase or decrease in egg layers (depopulated), prices moved nearly 5-8% in the opposite direction,” Angel Rubio, an economist at Urner Barry reported during a December 2022 webinar “For every percent of egg layers lost this year (2022), we have seen a 15-16% price increase, and we haven't seen prices come down yet.”
This isn’t the first time the poultry industry has dealt with a bizarre conspiracy theory. In 2021, Egg Industry Insight editor Meredith Johnson addressed rumors that poultry farms and processing plants were setting intentional fires to cause a food shortage.
As an industry, we need to be prepared to proactively address these rumors and educate consumers about the truth – or otherwise they’ll think we have something to hide.
To learn more about HPAI cases in commercial poultry flocks in the United States and Canada, see an interactive map on WATTPoultry.com.
Read our ongoing coverage of the global avian influenza outbreak.
