The Impact of Avian Flu on Local Food Systems

The Template for Stability that Food Hubs Provide

Avian Flu: What’s Happening?

The recent surge in cases of Avian Flu is continuing to raise concerns industry-wide among poultry farmers of every scale. This highly contagious virus spreads rapidly in industrial settings, where thousands of birds are housed in close quarters, with few alternatives outside of a complete cull - or killing of the flock. Because the majority of the national egg supply relies on just a handful of these commercial operations, the ripple effect has been felt on every level of the industry. 

As advocates for community-based food systems, we realize this crisis highlights a larger issue: the fragility of our industrialized food system and the need for stronger local alternatives. 

Food Hubs offer a solution to this problem by:

• Working only with farmers who value the intersection of animal health and food safety

• Fostering direct relationships between consumers and a diversified network of producers to promote market stability and trust at the community level

• Building transparent cost structures to prioritize farms’ long-term viability, even in the case of disaster

Impact on Non-Commercial Farmers

While national media tends to focus on large commercial culling operations and immediately visible egg shortages, the reality is that many smaller, non-commercial flocks (fewer than 1,000 birds) are facing significant impacts from broader, more long-term perspectives. 

Given that the virus typically spreads through the migratory pattern of wild birds, one could argue that birds raised on pastures (and not indoors) are even more likely to come in contact with infected wild birds. However, the advantage for our attentive pasture-raising farmer is the ability to contain the spread and avoid a total devastating loss. A few farmers in Freshlist’s network, for example, keep flocks separated on different pastures and in different coops - should the outbreak reach one of these farms, the spread can be contained within one flock.

Even after enforcing on-farm biosecurity measures and avoiding the virus altogether, small-scale Carolina farmers are certainly feeling the financial impact of the outbreak. Another farmer within Freshlist’s network reported that the price of pullets (baby hens purchased from hatcheries) has increased significantly over the last two weeks after years of stable pricing. This is likely due to the ripple effect of mass culling operations and a sudden surge in demand for replacement pullets. 

Beyond the price of birds, other associated costs of poultry production are through the roof; things like, feed, packaging, and transportation have been heavily affected by inflation through 2024. While these increases might not be directly tied to the Avian Flu outbreak, they certainly compound the financial strain on farmers in an already unpredictable and tense market. 

What Does This Mean for Consumers?

Because handfuls of these commercial flocks have completely stopped producing, the immediate impact on consumers shopping at grocery store chains is clear: fewer eggs available, at a much higher price.  

As was the case during COVID-related shortages, the optics of this outbreak could result in an inherent consumer skepticism in the reliability and safety of poultry products. In turn, encouraging more communities to look inward - to consider raising their own flocks and to search for transparent, small-scale egg suppliers within their county. 

This growing interest in self-sufficiency presents an opportunity for food hubs like Freshlist with diversified networks of egg producers to stabilize the local supply - in other words, to encourage a food system where all our eggs aren’t in one basket. 

Food hubs work to build trustworthy and transparent connections between producers and consumers and as prices continue to fluctuate, localized food systems have the opportunity to reflect the true cost in egg production. By offering small-scale farmers market value for their products, we’re able to empower farmers to make decisions for their flocks based on animal welfare, the farm’s financial needs, and their goal of providing stable supply to their surrounding communities.

📩 Want to support local farms and a healthier food system? Stay updated on what's going on at Freshlist https://mailchi.mp/e5743272ce0f/5ry9adufpi