On 29th January 2023, a fire at a farm in Connecticut, US, killed prematurely about 100,000 chickens. The Department of Agriculture confirmed that the hens were killed by the fire at the Hillandale Farms property in Bozrah, one of the top five egg producers in the country that exploits more than 20 million chickens to steal their eggs for vegetarian and meat-eating consumers — and which was planning to kill those hens at a much later date.
The farm’s executive leadership team said in the statement the following: “Our team continues to work closely with the local fire departments and state officials to thoroughly investigate the fire that occurred on Saturday, January 28. We can confirm that one chicken house was lost and that no other buildings were compromised. We are deeply grateful that no employees were hurt in the fire. Although it remains under investigation, we are working with local and state authorities to determine the cause. We appreciate the tremendous response from local fire departments for their swift action and for the continued support from across our industry.”
People who still insist on eating eggs may see the price of eggs increase due to the spread of bird flu and incidents like this one — which will only make egg producers try to breed more hens with the funds they receive from government subsidies. Around the world, 66 billion chickens are slaughtered every year since 2016, but until the reduction of demand forces the industry to downsize, this number may keep rising, especially when meat-eaters decide to become vegetarian instead of vegan and replace the meat they used to eat with a higher proportion of eggs. This is why it is important that vegan outreachers focus their efforts on vegetarians and plant-based people, who not only may be closer to becoming vegan, but who are increasing in number.
