Likewise, Reuters did not find any evidence that the 2022 incidents were intentional or planned for the sake of creating food shortages, and fires at food processing plants are not uncommon. Editing to add I just did that and I have 22 within 30 miles of me in the south. In about 65 percent of those 179 cases, the confirmed or suspected cause was a malfunctioning heating device or other electrical issue. I also used to work in industrial safety. Im sorry, the onus is on people who think thats a conspiracy theory to explain what is going on, what are the odds of that? Nevertheless, we have had warnings about fertilizer shortages, and there are problems throughout the supply chain, including railroad food transportation capabilities. PolitiFact - This 95-item list doesn't prove there are ongoing plans to This year's tally of farm animal deaths from barn fires follows a string of bad years in which millions of animals experienced untold suffering from burning to death. Residents Demand City Rep. to Address Homeless Issue after Commercial Building Fire. KFOX, 15 Feb. 2022, https://kfoxtv.com/news/local/residents-want-city-rep-to-address-homeless-issue-after-commercial-building-fire. One example involved a plane crash near a General Mills facility which, like the subsequent Forsman Farms fire, was a lot of fretting over something extremely minor: One of the most widely shared versions of the claim about the fires came from Tucker Carlson, who highlighted the rumors on the April 21 [2022] episode of his Fox News show, which has an average of 3.62 million nightly viewers according to the most recent Neilson ratings, Food processing plants all over the country seem to be catching fire, Carlson said at the start of the segment. For example, the very first item shown in the above-displayed image involved a building that had been abandoned for years, not an active food processing facility. Despite still beingrelatively common, fires at food production facilities have been slightly declining, Susan McKelvey, a spokesperson for the fire association, told USA TODAY. The amount of cold weather a state experienced appeared to be a greater factor in the prevalence of barn fires than the intensity of a states animal agriculture production. There were seven major farm fires in the United States over a recent 10-day period. Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com. And certainly not enough to affect the chicken supply, Super said. The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), an American nonprofit that supports animal rights, tracks barn fires in particular, and from 2013 to 2017, the AWI reports that more than 325 barn fires occurred in the US, killing nearly 2.8 million animals. Although NFPA 150 has existed in some form since 1979, it wasnt until 2006 that the scope of the code was expanded beyond racehorse stables. Most of them are contained rather quickly. Manmiller said the flames ignited when sparks and melted plastic from a shorted-out chicken feeder fell onto the wood shavings that the chicks use as bedding. Combined, thats more than four fires on average each day. Hendrix Genetics lists Hillandale Farms as the third-biggest egg producer in the U.S. with 20 million hens. Broadly, the Forsman Farms fire was an excellent example of the manner in which the rumors spread (not unlike a fire), contrasted with largely ignored subsequent reporting. Your membership is the foundation of our sustainability and resilience. Past examples can be seen (here) (here) (here) (here) (here). There are often vague insinuations that Joe Bidens administration is behind the attacks, or that the fires are to blame for rising food prices. The meeting soon became the focus of multiple conspiracy theories. Tens Of Thousands Of Chickens Killed In Wright County Egg Farm Fire In the context of 50 states and more than 300 million Americans, 19 is a tiny number of incidents. Unfortunately, chickens were lost because of the fire. Experts say the high egg prices American consumers are seeing today are in reality a result of many factors, such as widespread avian flu and inflation. They're planning them.". Every warehouse and every factory has a whole maintenance shop and in most of those you have metal working tools. Also Saturday was a multialarm fire at an empty barn in Cedarville, New York, according to WKTV-TV in Utica. The words could be a country anthem by themselves: "If being patriotic makes you an outlaw, then by God, Ill be an outlaw.". Barn Fires Killed 150,000+ Farm Animals in 2018 AWI Press Release, December 2018. (Dassel Fire Department/Facebook) A Minnesota barn containing 200,000 chickens and an agricultural equipment dealer both burned down recently in two separate fires. The most common and repeated claim is that these fires are a new "trend." Begging the question is also called arguing in a circle. Fires at livestock and poultry production and storage properties are quite common and have been for years. Completing this poll entitles you to The Western Journal news updates free of charge. I would not categorize this as an "alarming trend.". Attacking small businesses and farms with regulations. Since January 2021, when egg prices were on average $1.47 per dozen, the price has nearly tripled. We are evaluating the extent of the damage which appears to be confined to a single structure as well as investigating the cause of the fire.. We have seen, however, a new trend of people claiming an increase of fires at food processing facilities. 2 replies by Pepe Lives Matter and others. In other words, they have nothing to do with fires at chicken farms. Phone: (202) 337-2332, Multiple species: 60 chickens, 40 goats, 2 dogs and 1 sheep, Multiple species: 10 goats, 12 rabbits, 20 chickens and other animals, Multiple species: horses and other animals, Multiple species: a dog, puppies, and 2 calves, Multiple species: 4 horses, 6 goats, 24 chickens, Multiple species: 6 goats, 1 dog and 1 pig, Multiple species: pigs, goats and other unspecified animals, Multiple species: a kangaroo, ferretts and rabbits, Multiple species: 1,000 goats and 4 puppies, Multiple species: 4 calves, 9 pigs and 6 chickens, Muliple species: ducks, geese and chickens, Multiple species: 4 horses, a goat, a dog, several cats, chickens and turkeys, Multiple species: 8 cows, 6 goats and 4 horses, Multiple species: 40 chickens, 5 turkeys, 1 pig, 2 ducks and 1 rabbit, Multiple species: 6 cows and 100 ducks and chickens, Multiple species: 5 goats, 12 chickens and 10 cats, Multiple species: horses, cows, lambs and chickens, Multiple species: 500 chicks, 20 ducks, 4 dogs and 3 pigs, Multiple species: sheep, chicken, turkeys and ducks, Multiple species: a number of chickens, guinea pigs and rabbits, Multiple species: chickens, guinea pigs, ducks, 1 pig, 1 dog, Multiple species: 1 horse, 4 cats, 4 ducks and 4 chickens, 2023 All rights reserved. They asserted that the image was a photograph of food factory #19 in 2022, which was mysteriously torched; the image did not link to any additional information from a news source. Barn fires cause immense suffering, killing hundreds of thousands of farm animals every year. DIY Chicken Coop Fire and Electrical Safety | NFPA All these attacks on our supply chain and must be a happenstance right? 1995 - 2023 by Snopes Media Group Inc. 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On top of that, Messerschmidt added, you may have heat from cooking, high-pressure systems, combustible dusts, and other risk factors for fires and explosions present at these facilities. Note: Exact number not released but believed to be well over 1,000, Note: Exact number not released, but believed to be well over 100, Note: Exact number not released but believed to be well over 2,000, 1.6+ Million Farm Animals Died in Barn Fires in 2020AWI Press Release, December 2020, Devastating Year for Barn Fires, 450,000+ Farm Animals KilledAWI Press Release, December 2019, Barn Fires Killed 150,000+ Farm Animals in 2018AWI Press Release, December 2018, 2023 All rights reserved. 23 food plants and an egg factory dont just coincidentally burn down suddenly. Printing and spending more money than ever causing record inflation. In that fire, 166,000 egg-laying hens perished. Both were arson by disgruntled employees. Applying the same figure cited in the tweet, the mysterious 19 food factory fires (at least one of which had almost no impact) represented a not-so-alarming.052 percent of all food processing plants in the country. Andrea Kramar and Yasmeen Qureshi, USA TODAY, Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks, No link between Bill Gates and chicken and egg shortage, experts say, Conspiracy Theory Brewing Over Chicken Farm Fires Is False, Experts Say, Officials: Estimated 100,000 hens died in Connecticut fire, Big Lebanon County poultry farm fire does $12 million in damage, kills 250,000 chickens. Metal shavings with machine oil is surprisingly flammable and can get out of hand quick. The worst outbreak of avian flu on record has caused egg and poultry prices to surge. This disingenuous framing of a "recent trend" is even more apparent when we look at an article published on TimCast.com: The article suggests there's been a "strange trend" of food processing facility fires in the last six months. It sells under brands including Egg-Land's Best and Land O' Lakes," according to CBS News. Never attribute to conspiracy what can be easily explained by average stupidity, company greed, ignorance, or neglect. and Terms of Use. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Building with 200,000 chickens and farm equipment dealer burn in The claim of a new "trend" is just simply incorrect. Can someone please explain why all of the chicken farms keep - Reddit All rights reserved. Housekeeping is INCREDIBLY important but its one of the first things to go. You also agree to our. This material may not be reproduced without permission. Phone: (202) 337-2332, Multiple species: baby tortoises, geese, ducklings, chicks, pigeons and an iguana, Multiple species: horses, goats, and chickens, Multiple species: 4 llama, a peacock and 3 chickens, Multiple species: dogs, chickens and rabbits, Multiple species: chickens, guinea hens, goats and a pig, Multiple species: 3 goats and 15 chickens, Multiple species: quail, peacocks, rabbits, chickens and a pig, Multiple species: chickens, roosters, pigs and cows, Multiple species: cattle, pigs, goats, llamas, and a horse, Multiple species: 10 chickens and 5 goats, Multiple species: 30 sheep and 2 chickens, 2023 All rights reserved. You cansubscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here. Raising cost of goods and gas. (Read more about NFPA 150 and its origins in Critter Life Safety Code, the cover story of the November/December 2018 issue of NFPA Journal.). Despite multiple debunkings by everyone from fact checkers to fire safety organizations, discourse persisted. Of course, given the number of house and other fires around the country in a short amount of time, perhaps the farm incidents are no big deal, except, of course, for the affected property owners. According to data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average price of eggs more than doubled between January 2022 and December 2022, from $1.93 per dozen to $4.25 per dozen. Heres a compilation I put together of just some of those fires and I think we need to be asking ourselves a simple question: Egg prices are sky rocketing, food plants have also been burning down, corporate feed appears to be causing some chickens to not lay eggs and the media wants us to pretend like this isnt happening? Phone: (202) 337-2332, Shaping Policy for Animals in Laboratories, Emergency and Disaster Preparedness for Farm Animals Act, Traveling Exotic Animal and Public Safety Protection Act, Anti-whistleblower (Ag-Gag) Legislation, Cetacean Anti-Captivity Legislation and Laws, Farmed Animal Anti-Confinement Legislation, Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act, United States Legislative Information (external link), How to Communicate Effectively with Legislators, State Wildlife Agency Contact Information, Ending the Slaughter of Nonambulatory Pigs, 1.6+ Million Farm Animals Died in Barn Fires in 2020, Devastating Year for Barn Fires, 450,000+ Farm Animals Killed, Barn Fires Killed 150,000+ Farm Animals in 2018, Including Pets in Protection Orders: A State-by-State Guide, Comments on Legislation, Rulemaking, and Voluntary Standards, Dispelling the Arguments of Captivity Proponents, Swim-with Attractions & Dolphin Assisted Therapy, The Case Against Marine Mammals in Captivity, Restaurants Currently Offering Shark Fin Soup, Wildlife Management on National Park Service Land, Myths and Facts about Wild Horses and Burros, Wild Horses as Native North American Wildlife, Organizations and Individuals Opposed to Horse Slaughter, Canadian Restaurants Offering Shark Fin Soup, International Shark Finning Bans and Policies, Support for Federal Funding for Beaver Coexistence, Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Awards. Make sure you see our stories daily directly to your inbox. In light of all this, we cant help but notice when theres a potential glitch in getting foodstuffs to us. In December 2022, a fire caused $12 million in damages and killed a reported 250,000 chickens at a large poultry farm in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, according to WGAL. The chicken barn belonged to Forsman Farms, a major egg producer that sells three million eggs per day. That's more than 16 months ago. To minimize the risk of barn fires, AWI recommends farm owners implement the following fire protection methods: More Than 681,000 Farm Animals Died in Barn Fires in 2021AWI Press Release, January 2022, 1.6+ Million Farm Animals Died in Barn Fires in 2020AWI Press Release, December 2020, AWI, 10,000+ Consumers Urge Poultry Association to Save Birds from Barn FiresAWI Press Release, March 2020, Barn Fires: A Deadly Threat to Farm AnimalsAWI Report, Save Farm Animals From Deadly Barn FiresAWI Legislative Action, 2023 All rights reserved. Saturday was a North Smithfield, Rhode Island, horse farm fire. Each barn that was burned by the fire contained . First it was fires in food processing facilities. Fires kill 34,000 chickens in NC, VA poultry houses: officials Barn Fires Continue to Kill Massive Numbers of Farm Animals A Feb. 2 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows a screenshot of a tweet about supposed food shortages. On Friday, some 70 dairy cows escaped when their barn in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, caught fire, and they had to be rounded up to avoid being hit by fire equipment, according to the Express-Times in Lehigh Valley. It's nothing new, you can type in chicken farm fire with any year and get a bunch of results with losses in the hundreds of thousands. Farm Says "No One Was Injured" After 200,000 Chickens Die in Fire These Are the 20+ Food Facilities That Have Burned in 2022 Fact Check-Food processing plant fires in 2022 are not part of a The news article about a fire at a "meat processing facility in Lackawanna County," for example, was "ruled an accident" by authorities. Nearly 98 percent of the farm animals killed were poultry, with egg-laying hens accounting for the largest share of fatalities, followed by . And certainly not enough to affect the chicken supply. In terms of the likelihood of fires, the claim was also meritless. According to a 2019 report from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) (here), there are over 36,000 food processing plants in the United States. Please. A General Mills spokeswoman confirmed to us that the crash hasnt impacted food production or distribution, saying in an email, On April 21 [2022], a small plane crashed near the General Mills Covington, GA cereal and snack manufacturing facility. The blaze spread quickly after reportedly activating exhaust fans in a poultry house managed by Mountaire Farms. Sign up here! A reverse image search did match the image to a May 29 2022 WCCO article about a fire at Forsman Farms, "Tens Of Thousands Of Chickens Killed In Wright County Egg Farm Fire." A May 29 2022 KMSP piece about the incident included a statement from Forsman Farms about the blaze: "Overnight, a fire destroyed one of our barns at our Howard Lake . 2021 Barn Fire Statistics By State | Animal Welfare Institute When all of these headlines are gathered together in one place, it's easy to conclude this is a "trend." Fact checks often demonstrated that the rumor was baseless, but few addressed the purported objective of intentional food supply sabotage. In January 2020, an estimated 10,000 chickens perished in a fire just west of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Phone: (202) 337-2332, Shaping Policy for Animals in Laboratories, Emergency and Disaster Preparedness for Farm Animals Act, Traveling Exotic Animal and Public Safety Protection Act, Anti-whistleblower (Ag-Gag) Legislation, Cetacean Anti-Captivity Legislation and Laws, Farmed Animal Anti-Confinement Legislation, Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act, United States Legislative Information (external link), How to Communicate Effectively with Legislators, State Wildlife Agency Contact Information, Ending the Slaughter of Nonambulatory Pigs, More Than 681,000 Farm Animals Died in Barn Fires in 2021, AWI, 10,000+ Consumers Urge Poultry Association to Save Birds from Barn Fires, Barn Fires: A Deadly Threat to Farm Animals, Including Pets in Protection Orders: A State-by-State Guide, Comments on Legislation, Rulemaking, and Voluntary Standards, Dispelling the Arguments of Captivity Proponents, Swim-with Attractions & Dolphin Assisted Therapy, The Case Against Marine Mammals in Captivity, Restaurants Currently Offering Shark Fin Soup, Wildlife Management on National Park Service Land, Myths and Facts about Wild Horses and Burros, Wild Horses as Native North American Wildlife, Organizations and Individuals Opposed to Horse Slaughter, Canadian Restaurants Offering Shark Fin Soup, International Shark Finning Bans and Policies, Support for Federal Funding for Beaver Coexistence, Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Awards, Request annual inspections from the fire department, Institute frequent fire prevention training for employees and routine fire drills, Create emergency lanes so facilities have multiple access points, Construct buildingsparticularly, interior walls and ceilingsusing fire-resistant materials, Install on-site water storage units to assist firefighters with access to water, Frequently check, repair, and replace heating and other electrical equipment. Now, a seemingly growing number of people are claiming there's something suspicious about fires occurring at chicken farms across the United States. "Sound of Freedom" continues to soar against Hollywood expectations, while a big-budget movie due for release isn't looking so good. But with reports of so many fires at food production facilities, you cant help but notice. Fact check: False claim fires are evidence of planned food shortages The food fire rumors staying power seemed in part to be its flexibility Carlson left the question of cause open, and conspiracy-minded people attached their villain of choice to the rumor.

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