Transmission of the disease has been exacerbated by the conditions imposed on farm livestock, both domestic and international. PETA note that chickens are often confined with up to 50,000 other hens, including the dead and dying, creating a “breeding ground for disease”.
‘Free range’ hens farmed for their eggs and meat do not fare better, according to the organisation, with birds routinely denied access to sunlight and fresh air. One chicken population at a ‘free range’ Cambridgeshire farm were found with ammonia burns and cannibalistic tendencies due to their conditions.
With practices in the meat and dairy industry intensifying the risk of disease to both animals and humans, outbreaks of disease are met with immediate, severe response. 1.8 million birds have been ‘culled’ in the UK alone since winter 2024, marking a repeat of a 2021-2022 outbreak which saw 3.2 million birds killed. Worldwide cullings in a subsequent October 2023 outbreak reached highs of 250 million.
Avian-origin influenzas are among the deadliest recorded in human history. The 1918-19 Spanish Flu outbreak began in birds before spreading in US troop ships bound for the Western Front of the First World War. The pandemic ultimately killed as many as 100 million people – claiming as much as five times more lives than the trenches it spread in.
The BBC reports that current risk of exposure to avian flu from meat consumption is low, although human cases of the virus have been discovered, including evidence of person-to-person transmission. Despite most of the 68 confirmed cases in the USA coming through interaction with animals, two examples of virus transmission not involving birds or cows have been noted.
Farmers and retailers have seen increased hardship amidst the virus’ spread. One New York State farmer interviewed by the BBC reports having to implement extensive quarantining measures, while egg prices in the US have doubled since December.