Bird Flu Puts Chickens into Lockdown from US to France
2022-05-05
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1Many chicken farmers in the United States are keeping their birds inside during a spread of bird flu.
2The series of outbreaks has led to the killings of 35 million farm birds in the U.S.
3The United States Department of Agriculture has advised farmers to keep their birds inside to avoid infection.
4Specialty chicken farmers who raise free-range chickens are no exception to the policy.
5Free-range means the chickens move without restrictions inside and out.
6So, egg sellers need to update the buying public about the new farming conditions, industry observers say.
7Buyers usually pay more for eggs from these chickens than those produced on large, corporate farms.
8Reasons differ --- some people think organic eggs are a healthier choice while others might favor the taste.
9Still others might say organic eggs are a better choice for the environment or come from a more humane process.
10American officials say keeping farm birds inside is the safest policy for now.
11They note that the entire chicken population on a single farm must be killed even if one member gets bird flu.
12The virus can also infect humans, though experts say the risk is low.
13In France, the flu is doing similar damage.
14The nation's government has required farmers to keep chickens indoors since November.
15Reuters news agency reported, however, that some stores and other businesses are still identifying the chicken products as free-range.
16"I didn't know that they had to stay inside," said Josephine Barit.
17The 34-year-old was looking at eggs for sale at a small store in Paris.
18She said, "So it's not really 'free range' anymore?" And she added, "I suppose there is no other choice because of bird flu, but they could say so."
19Animal doctors say birds that can go outside are at a much higher risk of getting bird flu because birds that travel can spread the disease.
20The U.S. Department of Agriculture suggests farmers keep birds produced for food indoors as long as the bird flu outbreak is ongoing, but has not required it.
21The U.S. outbreak is the second-worst in history, with more than 35 million birds killed this year.
22Farmers in France have killed nearly 16 million birds to stop the spread in its worst outbreak.
23Infections have also hit nations including Britain, Italy and Spain.
24European requirements to keep chickens indoors have left some buyers unhappy even when sellers post signs telling buyers of the change.
25"At the end of the day you still pay the price of 'free-range' eggs or organic eggs when the fowls have actually never seen the sky," said Marc Dossem, a 52-year-old shopper in a large store in the French capital.
26The European Union and British marketing standards permit for free-range egg-laying chickens to be kept inside for up to 16 weeks before companies must inform buyers.
27U.S. officials do not require organic egg producers to inform buyers on food containers when unexpected events like bird flu change production practices, the agriculture department said.
28I'm Gregory Stachel.
1Many chicken farmers in the United States are keeping their birds inside during a spread of bird flu. 2The series of outbreaks has led to the killings of 35 million farm birds in the U.S. The United States Department of Agriculture has advised farmers to keep their birds inside to avoid infection. 3Specialty chicken farmers who raise free-range chickens are no exception to the policy. Free-range means the chickens move without restrictions inside and out. 4So, egg sellers need to update the buying public about the new farming conditions, industry observers say. 5Buyers usually pay more for eggs from these chickens than those produced on large, corporate farms. Reasons differ --- some people think organic eggs are a healthier choice while others might favor the taste. Still others might say organic eggs are a better choice for the environment or come from a more humane process. 6American officials say keeping farm birds inside is the safest policy for now. They note that the entire chicken population on a single farm must be killed even if one member gets bird flu. 7The virus can also infect humans, though experts say the risk is low. 8In France, the flu is doing similar damage. The nation's government has required farmers to keep chickens indoors since November. 9Reuters news agency reported, however, that some stores and other businesses are still identifying the chicken products as free-range. 10"I didn't know that they had to stay inside," said Josephine Barit. The 34-year-old was looking at eggs for sale at a small store in Paris. 11She said, "So it's not really 'free range' anymore?" And she added, "I suppose there is no other choice because of bird flu, but they could say so." 12Animal doctors say birds that can go outside are at a much higher risk of getting bird flu because birds that travel can spread the disease. 13The U.S. Department of Agriculture suggests farmers keep birds produced for food indoors as long as the bird flu outbreak is ongoing, but has not required it. 14Buyers unhappy 15The U.S. outbreak is the second-worst in history, with more than 35 million birds killed this year. Farmers in France have killed nearly 16 million birds to stop the spread in its worst outbreak. Infections have also hit nations including Britain, Italy and Spain. 16European requirements to keep chickens indoors have left some buyers unhappy even when sellers post signs telling buyers of the change. 17"At the end of the day you still pay the price of 'free-range' eggs or organic eggs when the fowls have actually never seen the sky," said Marc Dossem, a 52-year-old shopper in a large store in the French capital. 18The European Union and British marketing standards permit for free-range egg-laying chickens to be kept inside for up to 16 weeks before companies must inform buyers. 19U.S. officials do not require organic egg producers to inform buyers on food containers when unexpected events like bird flu change production practices, the agriculture department said. 20I'm Gregory Stachel. 21Tom Polansek and Sybille de La Hamaide reported this story for Reuters. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. 22____________________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24free-range - adj. allowed to move around freely: not kept in cages 25organic - n. grown or made without the use of artificial chemicals 26fowl - n. a bird (such as a chicken) that is raised for food 27shop - v. to visit places where goods are sold in order to look at and buy things 28We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.