Merced County in Central California also has been hit hard, with outbreaks at several large commercial egg-producing farms in recent weeks.Įxperts say bird flu is spread by ducks, geese and other migratory birds. During the past two months, nearly a dozen commercial farms have had to destroy more than 1 million birds to control the outbreak, dealing an economic blow to farmers, workers and their customers.
The highly contagious virus has ravaged Sonoma County, where officials have declared a state of emergency. It’s devastating to see that egg basket go up in flames.”Ī year after the bird flu led to record egg prices and widespread shortages, the disease known as highly pathogenic avian influenza is wreaking havoc in California, which escaped the earlier wave of outbreaks that devastated poultry farms in the Midwest. “Petaluma is known as the Egg Basket of the World.
We’re all going through grief as a result of it,” said Weber, standing in an empty hen house. Last month, Mike Weber got the news every poultry farmer fears: His chickens tested positive for avian flu.įollowing government rules, Weber’s company, Sunrise Farms, had to slaughter its entire flock of egg-laying hens - 550,000 birds - to prevent the disease from infecting other farms in Sonoma County north of San Francisco.
