If you have not noticed yet, the price of eggs is skyrocketing, and chicken is not far behind. Both of these have been relatively affordable protein sources for many people who can't afford that steak some politicians are so adamant they not buy. I recently read an article about what is causing this. I had heard rumors that there was some bird flu wreaking havoc, but I really had no idea the scope of the problem.
To tell you the truth, while I have been very aware of the issues surrounding raising cattle and pigs for us carnivorous and omnivorous consumers, I always just went along with the fact that the egg and chicken industries, while still not great for the environment, were the most water efficient and land efficient source of non-veggie protein available on the market that was actually affordable to the average consumer. I tried hard to buy free range, but let's face it, when you are feeding three hungry kids, sometimes you gotta go the cheap route. More below the orange squiggly thing.
When I read the article I referred to at the beginning of this, I was astounded at how many birds these farmers were keeping on a single farm. We are not talking just hundreds, or thousands, or even tens of thousands. We are talking hundreds of thousands (well, 150,000 at least). I hope they are not surprised that all of a sudden their birds are keeling over dead due to some highly contagious disease. I sure has hell am not. I am surprised that it has taken so long to happen. How can anyone think keeping that many of any single living thing in a limited space is going to work for long?
There is a reason why ecosystems and habitats are made up of a variety of plants and animals and that in nature when a population of any one species gets out of control in an area where it cannot expand its habitat, Mama Nature takes care of it, using disease as one of her main tools of destruction. If you think we as humans are immune to this, just think about how quickly MRSA and other super bacteria are spreading in our population, or looking back, the Black Plague. There are many instances where human populations have been and still are being devastated by disease which is easily spread due to overcrowded conditions.
There are a lot of people in this world that need to eat. In the United States, our economic and social structures, as well as the way our cities are built and populated, no longer allow for everyone to be self-sufficient. There is no way we can go back to back yard gardens and chicken coops to feed ourselves, no matter what the Utopians want to believe. But consider what we have done in response to that need by creating these huge mega farms. I am wondering if anyone is seeing the writing on the wall besides me that this bird flu is just the beginning of what could be a total food collapse.
The saying, "Don't put your eggs in one basket" definitely applies here. If we don't find a way to feed ourselves that does not rely on single species farming in tight quarters, we are doomed. It does not matter whether we are talking plants or animals. Mama Nature likes variety, and this fact does not change just because we have antibiotics and round-up. We are not the end-all here on earth. We are Mama Nature's children just like everything else and she WILL discipline us severely, as she does all species, if we try to subvert her Laws of Nature.
If anyone thinks that "Saving the Planet" is about us saving Mama Nature, think again. She does not need saving. She was around before we existed and will be around long after. "Saving the Planet" is just another way of saying "Preventing the extinction of the Homo sapiens." While other plants and animal species may not have the ability to "save" themselves, I like to think that as humans, Mama Nature gave us the ability to reason and thus we do have that ability. But then, I look around and see how we have multiplied and evolved socially in a manner that is completely contraindicative of that statement. And now we are experiencing, at the expense of these poor chickens and turkeys, what Mama Nature can do to keep us in line when we get out of control. My prediction? The lesson will not be learned and we will be that much closer to self-destruction.
10:57 AM PT: UPDATE: While I commented on this below, it was noted that the USDA has a policy of mass culling when a disease like the current bird flu occurs within flocks. This is correct. It is to prevent spread of the virus and to prevent the virus from adapting to any natural or introduced immunity within the flock. This helps keep the virus from becoming even more potent. However, this does not negate the fact that mass culling would not even be needed if these mega farms did not exist. My point still stands: single species farming is dangerous from a biological and an ecological point of view and could easily lead to food collapse. This really has nothing to do with feelings the chickens may or may not have when they are cooped up by the thousands. I am not looking at this issue from an emotional point of view (sorry PETA and chicken lovers all). I am looking at this from a scientific point of view. And before you ask, yes I have an educational and work background that allows me to have a little bit of knowledge on the subject of population collapse, which applies to both plants and animals.
11:10 AM PT: Here is a great article from National Geographic on this subject. Please note that this outbreak of bird flu STARTED in small back yard chicken farms in British Columbia.
http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/...
11:35 AM PT: Okay, we shall change that number to millions, not hundreds of thousands. And as I predicted, lesson not learned. Mega farms are already restocking their bird populations or are preparing to restock.
http://www.reuters.com/...