That accounted for about 95 percent of Hickman Farms’ bird population.
Hickman and Hickman Family farms have been advocating for access to avian flu vaccines since January.
Customers of Hickman farms and other affected farms in Arizona do not need to be worried about contracting bird flu through consumption.
According to Fox 10, locals and environmental activists sued Hickman Farms in 2018 for polluting the area.
Daily Mail reached out to Hickman Family Farms and the Arizona Department of Agriculture for comment.
Millions of birds from one of the biggest egg producers in the US have been killed by a deadly bird flu outbreak that has affected several farms in Arizona.
In late May, the hens at Hickman Farms in Buckeye, Arizona, started exhibiting symptoms.
Six million birds have died within two weeks of the flock becoming ill, compared to the initial loss estimate of 1 million. About 95% of the birds at Hickman Farms were represented by that.
To address the matter, CEO Glenn Hickman called a press conference on May 30. He believed that the loss was completely avoidable.
He stated, “Our pullets would have been saved by now if they had been vaccinated when we began lobbying the federal government in January.”.
Access to avian flu vaccines has been a priority for Hickman and Hickman Family farms since January. The situation is discussed on the company’s website, and the U. S. . The government produces a vaccine, but it only exports it.
European nations are gaining the upper hand in the fight against this disease because they have been immunizing their flocks for a few years. In fact, the United States produces that vaccine. A. however, we export to foreign nations while leaving our flocks unguarded. “…
In an ongoing effort to increase access to vaccinations, the website urges users to get in touch with their representatives.
The terrible loss of millions of his chickens could have been avoided, according to CEO Glenn Hickman.
Pictured: One of the nation’s largest egg producers, Hickman’s Family Farms.
“We can return to normalized operations sooner if we can begin vaccinating our country’s poultry flock,” Hickman stated.
Hickman Farms is only the biggest of several Arizona farms that have been impacted.
The quarantine of another farm in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area was confirmed by the Arizona Department of Agriculture on June 2. Although the farm is still anonymous, according to their press release, the chickens started exhibiting symptoms in May and tested positive on May 30.
Hickman farms are now concentrating on repopulating their farm after taking similar steps to stop the spread. De-populating, cleaning, and re-populating will take nearly two years, according to Hickman. Only a few weeks remain until the process starts.
Hickman Farms has halted operations in the interim. Many of their 850 employees—many of whom are contract workers and prisoners—have lost their jobs. Thankfully, some staff will still be required while the cleaning is being done.
Consumers of products from Hickman farms and other impacted farms in Arizona don’t have to worry about consuming bird flu. In a May 20 press release, the AZDA stated that eggs from chickens that tested positive had not been added to the food supply.
They wrote, “Humans have shown no signs of illness.”.
Customers in Arizona and across the country can continue to have faith in the quality and safety of eggs and egg products. “…
Chickens within Hickman’s Family Farms are shown in the picture.
In the last 14 months, there have only been 70 human cases of bird flu, including one fatality, according to CDC data. According to the CDC and AZDA, people who have worked closely with contaminated poultry are the most at risk.
For the first time in 81 years, Arizona’s family says Hickman Farms will not be able to meet all of their customers’ demands due to the outbreak. The business is trying to find different ways to satisfy their demands.
The drop in operations has not infuriated everyone. According to 12 News, locals are relieved to be free of the stench that comes with running a chicken farm. Fox 10 reports that Hickman Farms was sued in 2018 by locals and environmental activists for causing pollution in the area.
For comment, Daily Mail contacted the Arizona Department of Agriculture and Hickman Family Farms.
