Organic and free-range chickens have been thrown into lockdown according to a new report. Egg-laying hens that normally have access to the outdoors can no longer roam as freely or feel the sun on their beaks as some U.S. and European farmers temporarily keep flocks inside during lethal outbreaks of bird flu, according to egg producers and industry representatives.
The switch comes as a surprise to shoppers already shelling out more money for eggs due to cullings of infected flocks. Consumers pay extra for specialty eggs, thinking they come from hens that can venture out of barns.
U.S. watchdogs say retailers and egg companies must do a better job informing customers that hens are kept inside, as shoppers track their spending amid record global food inflation. Keeping birds inside is safest for now, according to government officials, because a single case of bird flu results in entire flocks being culled.
The virus can also infect humans, though experts say the risk is low. In France, where the government has temporarily required farmers to keep chickens indoors since November, some retailers are defying obligations to post clear information for consumers about the mandate, according to checks of grocery stores by Reuters. “I didn’t know that they had to stay inside,” said Josephine Barit, 34, a shopper at a small Paris store that had no indications hens may have been confined.
U.S. watchdogs say retailers and egg companies must do a better job informing customers that hens are kept inside, as shoppers track their spending amid record global food inflation. Keeping birds inside is safest for now, according to government officials, because a single case of bird flu results in entire flocks being culled. The virus can also infect humans, though experts say the risk is low.
In France, where the government has temporarily required farmers to keep chickens indoors since November, some retailers are defying obligations to post clear information for consumers about the mandate, according to checks of grocery stores by Reuters. “I didn’t know that they had to stay inside,” said Josephine Barit, 34, a shopper at a small Paris store that had no indications hens may have been confined.
