Arizona Farmer Wants to Vaccinate His Chickens Against Bird Flu to Lower Egg Prices, Says Federal Government Won't Give the 'Green Light'

An Arizona egg farmer is urging the federal government to allow poultry vaccinations against bird flu to help curb soaring egg prices.

Glenn Hickman, president and CEO of Hickman's Family Farms in Buckeye, told KTAR News that vaccines already exist and are being used in Europe, but the U.S. government has yet to authorize them for domestic use.

"What's frustrating is, we know that that's the answer," Hickman said. "And yet, we can't get our federal government to release the vaccine so that we can vaccinate our birds."

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Since December, U.S. egg farms have lost 12% of their 40 million birds to the H5 avian flu, leading to shortages and record-breaking egg prices. Hickman said his farm in Maricopa alone lost 1.1 million chickens. The standard industry response to an outbreak is to cull entire flocks, which halts outbreaks but reduces supply in broad sweeps.

"When we've lost this massive amount of birds in a very short period of time, our industry does not have the capacity to suddenly ramp up our ability to produce more eggs or more chickens," he said.

With egg prices averaging $4.95 per dozen—and climbing to $10 or more in some areas—Hickman is calling for immediate action.

Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) is also advocating for the vaccine, urging President Donald Trump to take action in a social media video posted Tuesday.

"It's very simple. Donald Trump should start vaccinating chickens against bird flu, and that will eventually bring down these costs of eggs," Gallego said.

For now, without federal approval, U.S. farmers remain unable to deploy what Hickman calls the only viable solution to protecting flocks and stabilizing egg prices.

"We have the ability to do it," he said. "We vaccinate for other poultry diseases. It wouldn't be a big deal. We could start as soon as we get the green light from the government."