Controversy over ‘vaccinating’ chickens with bird flu vaccine: what’s going on?

‘Vaccination’ has been a sensitive subject in the Netherlands for some time now. Since this week, vaccinations have once again caused controversy. Last Monday, a trial began in which chicks are being vaccinated against the bird flu virus. The controversy is mainly about the fact that the eggs from these vaccinated birds will end up in stores. What exactly is going on?

The Dutch poultry sector has been suffering greatly from bird flu for years. It is a virus that spreads through infected wild birds, droppings, air and water. People are not easily infected with the disease; it is extremely rare. But if poultry itself is free of bird flu, the chance of it spreading to humans naturally becomes virtually zero. Previously, infected poultry was culled. That was the only solution to prevent further spread. Not exactly ideal—not only because of animal welfare, but also because the extremely high infection rates meant that a great many animals had to be slaughtered. So another solution was desirable. That solution was the vaccine, which was used for the first time last Monday at the launch of a pilot project.

Two-year pilot

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature (LVVN) is working with the poultry sector on the pilot. One farm, whose identity is being kept confidential for privacy reasons, is taking part. More than 10,000 chicks will receive the vaccine. The pilot will run until around 2027, when the vaccinated hens reach the end of their production period. They will then stop laying eggs. You can probably guess what happens to the laying hens after that. In any case, they really won’t be able to lay any more eggs.

‘Vaccinated eggs’ in stores

This is not the first time chickens have been vaccinated against certain diseases. ‘Chickens receive several vaccines during their lives,’ the Dutch government reports on an information page about the issue on its website. For example, they are also vaccinated against Newcastle disease, also known as pseudofowl plague.

What is new, however, is that the eggs from vaccinated chickens will soon be available in stores. They will enter the market in about six months. The chicks taking part in the pilot will only lay their first eggs after around 20 weeks. So it will be a while before you can buy a carton of ‘vaccinated eggs’.

Only in the Netherlands

Notably, the eggs from the vaccination pilot will not be sold across the border. This is despite the fact that the Netherlands is a major exporter of meat, eggs and chicks. Not all countries to which the Netherlands exports are eager to sell eggs from vaccinated chickens. Some even see the bird flu vaccine as a reason not to purchase any products at all. With the pilot, the Netherlands wants to assess in a controlled way whether any trade barriers arise. In an ideal world, trade will ultimately not suffer any negative consequences.

Controversy on social media

But by now, a substantial group of people already sees the negative consequences of ‘vaccinated eggs’ for themselves. Not necessarily for trade, but for their own sake. Because eggs may soon be sold in stores that are potentially ‘contaminated’ with a vaccine. And because you will not be able to tell whether you have a carton of ‘vaccinated eggs’ in your hands. This is not stated anywhere—not on the carton nor on the eggs themselves. The eggs will receive a stamp that can be traced back to the farm of origin, but that applies to all eggs; as a consumer, you cannot do anything with that information.

Many people are not keen on potentially eating eggs from vaccinated chickens. The reactions to a post by the Instagram account @nieuwsbekendheid, which raised the issue, make that clear. ‘Poisoning the people, this is pure treason! Which asshole approved this? They should be arrested immediately!’, ‘Another good reason to do our grocery shopping across the border’, ‘Another thing ruined. And so we keep becoming happier with nothing. Sorry, but then I’m forced to keep chickens myself’ and ‘Pff, now we have to look for unvaccinated chickens again. They’re trying to make us sick in every possible way’ are among the comments.

Completely safe?

Are these concerns justified? According to researchers, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature and the industry associations involved, the vaccine is completely safe. This also applies to people who eat ‘vaccinated eggs’. ‘No, there is no potential risk for consumers of becoming infected with the bird flu virus by eating eggs from these vaccinated chickens,’ the Dutch government reports. Kees de Jong, chairman of the LTO poultry farming group, told NOS: ‘There are absolutely no risks involved in eating such an egg. Its safety is guaranteed.’ Kim Bouwman of Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR), who researches vaccinations against bird flu, also told NU.nl that she is positive. ‘If you look purely at the vaccine, there are no risks involved. … I expect all eggs to be perfectly safe to eat.’ Clearly, not everyone trusts this information, as the controversy on social media shows.

Because the bird flu vaccine and other vaccines given to chickens are not indicated on eggs, you will not be able to tell whether you are cooking a ‘vaccinated egg’. Want to avoid this at all costs? That will be difficult. Not only is it not stated on the egg, but according to the Dutch government there is also ‘no need to report which stores carry the products’. Anyone determined to find out will have to ask the store or farmer themselves—if they can or are willing to provide more information.

The future

If the pilot is successful, there is a good chance that the bird flu vaccine will soon be used across an increasingly large part of the poultry sector. That means more and more ‘vaccinated eggs’ will also appear in stores.

What do you think about the issue? Would you eat a ‘vaccinated egg’, or would you refuse? And can we even still eat eggs with 100% confidence—because according to the NVWA, the eggs from your backyard chickens are already at risk too…

Also read:

• These are the differences between barn, free-range and organic eggs
• Another handy tip for peeling eggs quickly
• Handy: how to bring eggs to room temperature in no time

Sources: Dutch government website, NU.nl, NOS, Trouw