Worries about egg prices are all over the news, but the real worry should be about 鈥渂ird flu鈥�. Avian influenza has spread extensively over the past six months, including in BC. It has affected both wild birds and farmed birds. Most of the eggs in the grocery store come from hens that are caged and raised in terrible conditions. While 鈥渇ree range鈥� hens have a little extra room to move about in a slightly more natural way, they are still kept in very close conditions where diseases like bird flu spread quickly.

Concerningly, farm workers have picked up the virus from their animals (domestic birds like chickens as well as cattle) and become very sick. One of the highest profile cases was here in BC鈥檚 Fraser Valley where a young, healthy farm worker ended up hospitalized due to pneumonia from bird flu.

So far there is no evidence of person-to-person spread. However, as we know from recent COVID the situation can change very quickly. Remember the SARS epidemic of 2002-2004? The mortality rate from SARS was about 50 per cent (one death for every two people infected), about five times worse than COVID when it started. There are concerns that avian influenza could have mortality rates like SARS.

Chickens are not seen as having enough value to justify vaccinating them against bird flu. When a flock in infected 鈥� and many factory 鈥渇locks鈥� are in the tens of thousands of birds 鈥� they are quickly 鈥渃ulled鈥� to prevent the spread. And by culled, that means killed. As of December, over seven million birds on BC farms had been killed. Suffocation and heat are two of the main methods used to kill the birds. It is not pleasant, to say the least.

We don鈥檛 like high egg prices, we don鈥檛 want bird flu, or contribute to its spread, and we certainly don鈥檛 want other creatures to suffer, so what can we do? The easiest thing to do is to not buy eggs.

There are products like Just Eggs that are made from plants and do just about everything that chicken eggs can do. An easy fix for many baked goods is to use one tablespoon of ground flax mixed with three tablespoons of water for each egg in the recipe. Flax is high in nutrition and contains loads of fibre, something that you won鈥檛 get out of a chicken egg! The internet has many substitution suggestions that can help keep everyone happy, healthy and safe.

Alistair Schroff is with Increased ACCESS (formerly Lakes Animal Friendship Society).