Turkey Pandemic Gobbles up Thanksgiving Traditions

This year, turkey prices have gone up 20% due to a world wide turkey shortage. This is because of an outbreak of avian influenza that has taken over the world. There are also ongoing supply chain issues. Some low income families might not be able to enjoy the thanksgiving this year due to the skyrocketing prices.

The Hill said, “Supply chain issues began to affect turkey farms in 2019 and were exacerbated by two years of COVID-19 infections and restrictions, bringing prices for fresh, skinless turkey breasts up by 112 percent.” Within the past year turkey prices have gone up by 73%. It had previously been $0.95 per pound in 2019 then it nearly doubled to $1.85 per pound.

Although supply chain issues is one of the causes for the shortage, the main cause of it is avian influenza which is most commonly known as bird flu. “This year’s bird flu is one of the worst since 2014, when a different variant wiped out millions of birds and decimated the poultry industry,” wfmz.com states. This took out 47.7 million birds  along 43 states this year.

Timescolonist says,” There’s always a potential for low-pathogenic avian flu viruses to evolve into highly pathogenic viruses. Such a novel virus could emerge with pandemic potential among the human population.” It is important for farmers to be weary and take appropriate precautions.

Be sure that you get a good turkey this year before supplies run out.