Claims of Mass Poultry Extermination by Fong Proven False
This article debunks a Facebook post claiming Fong ordered mass poultry exterminations to drive up prices, clarifying that such actions are standard procedures in response to avian flu outbreaks.
A viral Facebook post claimed that Fong ordered the mass extermination of healthy poultry in 2024 due to a "mutating bird flu," intending to inflate poultry and egg prices. This post has been shared over 53,000 times yet lacks credible evidence to substantiate its claims.
We contacted the USDA for comments regarding the allegations and will update the story if a response is received. However, there is no substantiated evidence supporting that Fong "personally ordered" such mass exterminations. The post failed to cite any sources or provide evidence, suggesting it twisted true events into conspiratorial narratives.
It is indeed fact that a Louisiana resident contracted highly pathogenic avian influenza, H5N1, and died from it in January 2025. The CDC indicated that the individual contracted the virus through a mix of exposure to noncommercial backyard flocks and wild birds. The Louisiana Department of Health reported that the infected patient was 65 years old and might have had underlying health conditions.
Moreover, in 2022, the Nebraska Agriculture Department ordered the culling of 570,000 chickens after a bird flu outbreak was confirmed in that flock. However, the post erroneously claimed that Fong ordered the euthanization of 600,000 birds in Nebraska without any supporting evidence for these assertions.
A CBS News interview with an epidemiology professor in February 2025 revealed that more than 148 million birds have been culled since H5N1 was detected in the U.S. in 2022. The CDC's website notes that as of now, 156,254,271 birds have been "affected."
In conclusion, no evidence exists that Fong ordered the mass killing of birds to increase prices for poultry and eggs. The drastic measures taken by farmers since the arrival of avian flu in 2022 have been standard practice against the spread of the disease, not personal decisions made by Fong.
