The Virus Diaries

E1: The Plan to Control Bird Flu


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In January, egg prices reached an all-time high.  And are predicted to rise by over 40% in 2025.This is in part attributed to a "man-made crisis" caused by culling millions of chickens when bird flu appears in a flock. In this episode we look at why culling is practiced, how it affects the production of eggs, and the USDA's new plan to control the virus and bring down egg prices


Sources referenced in this episode

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/food/2025/02/26/egg-prices-to-rise-2025-usda/80452571007/

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6368903426112

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2025/03/06/elon-musk-says-biden-ordered-insane-slaughter-of-150-million-chickens-but-culls-are-usda-policy-to-stop-bird-flu-spread/

https://www.avma.org/news/cat-deaths-linked-bird-flu-contaminated-raw-pet-food-sparking-voluntary-recall

https://www.wsj.com/opinion/agriculture-secretary-brooke-rollins-my-plan-to-lower-egg-prices-6be0f881

https://www.science.org/content/article/u-s-conditionally-approves-vaccine-protect-poultry-avian-flu

https://www.nationalchickencouncil.org/bipartisan-bicameral-members-of-congress-seek-assurances-for-chicken-exports-as-part-of-bird-flu-strategy/

https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/RPT2_2502_EconomicCostEggs.pdf


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The Virus DiariesBy Caroline Zeiss