To the editor: The Occasions’ recent article on skyrocketing egg prices claims that when farmers detect the chook flu virus in chickens, “flocks are euthanized.”
To “euthanize” means to provide a humane dying. To know how these flocks really die, you may contemplate the 2022 Related Press article, “Bird flu’s grisly question: how to kill millions of poultry.”
The AP piece reported that farmers use a wide range of strategies to kill chickens in flocks affected by chook flu. Whether or not sprayed by firefighting foam (which suffocates them) or locked in barns after farmers cease airflow (slicing off oxygen over a matter of hours), these chickens don’t die painless deaths.
I encourage The Occasions to make use of an correct time period for these killings, as a result of “euthanize” falsely informs readers that these animals are killed in a humane method.
Merete Rietveld, Los Angeles
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To the editor: The “legislation of unintended penalties” performs into this story.
In 2018, California voters of their knowledge handed a poll initiative outlawing eggs produced by hens in cages. Which means to a big extent, California is a separate, remoted nation in relation to egg manufacturing.
Nationwide, chook flu has resulted within the lack of 10.2 million hens out of a inhabitants of 379 million within the final month, in accordance with the article. Nevertheless, egg costs in Pennsylvania right now are round $4.50 a dozen, about half of California’s worth.
David Schaffner, Arroyo Grande, Calif.
The author is a professor emeritus of agribusiness at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
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To the editor: Final week, I purchased a dozen eggs at Dealer Joe’s for $2.99. I don’t purchase or eat eggs repeatedly, however that has been the value at Dealer Joe’s for so long as I’ve seen.
I’m wondering the place the individuals who decide the common for the U.S. Division of Agriculture store.
Henry A. Hespenheide, Hermosa Seaside
