Yesterday, Minister of Agriculture Czesław Siekierski signed a regulation regarding the alleged poultry plague outbreak. The regulation introduces mandatory vaccination of chickens and turkeys kept in commercial farms. It also requires appropriate protection, so-called biosecurity, meaning that these farms, where there’s obviously filth and malaria, will need higher standards. Documentation of disinfectants and implementation of a transport registry are required. Farms can no longer throw dead poultry into a hole in the proverbial forest; instead, they must have a container and properly dispose of them following protocol. Online, there’s been a squeal from conspiracy theorists and advocates of “common sense,” or what I bluntly call street-level stupidity.

Today’s post could focus on chickens and their mass deaths due to bird flu, but that would be mundane. Instead, we’ll analyze the conspiracy theories produced by internet commentators, because as we know, the cause isn’t the terrible conditions of poultry production and excessive farm overcrowding, but probably a conspiracy by some global player.

Chickens are being culled as part of a broader climate fraud

On X/ex-Twitter, accounts pumping conspiracy theories against the Green Deal, or edited videos showing immigrants beating white people, have started showing poultry culling with commentary that it’s being done as part of “climate fraud.”

Government-approved poultry extermination using fire-fighting foam as a result of climate fraud. World food supply is controlled by about 12 entities that reduce farms, processing plants, and overall production. Lower supply = higher prices (@miejskiziom)

Under such posts appears a flood of street-level rationality comments claiming this is a fabricated COVID for animals, that some mysterious international forces are trying to make meat unaffordable. As if Polish steroid-injected chickens that make your breasts grow were some specialite de la maison, or certainly a national treasure. The commentariat suggests that leftist ecological ideologies have led to farmers culling poultry (following along?)… which will cause production to be taken over by corporations, and meat prices to rise. Leftists first maliciously did this in the USA, and now they’ve moved on to Europe. Some notice that Ukraine is strangely unaffected by this pseudo-pandemic. The brain can’t comprehend that it’s precisely the industrial production of chickens and their maximum cramming into space that contributes to the development of ideal conditions for plague.

Comments suggesting that virus-infected poultry should be culled are ignored because, as we know, “on starch, man has no strength to rebel,” and Poles of course love to rebel, plus there are suggestions of planned depopulation: “When will hunger be initiated?” Other commenters connect the dots, saying chickens must now be registered, that cash is being eliminated. And everything is moving toward imposing veganism. Nothing to do but rebel and unite in some underground brigades that will fight this stupidity and alleged virus, because of course chickens are very healthy according to these specialists. They judge this from photos. Comment from a country uncle: “I live in the countryside and have been dealing with poultry since childhood - these turkeys don’t look sick at all 🫣”.

Of course, opponents of the Green Deal, which is supposedly pure evil, throw in their two cents. MP Katarzyna Sójka from PiS party, from Kalisz (Kalisz is famous for outstanding thinkers), posted an extensive analysis of how the European Union wants, of course with the consent of the Polish government, to lead to the bankruptcy of farmers. It’s a planned conspiracy.

Let’s pause for a moment. Before we analyze these conspiracy theories, it’s worth looking at the reality of Polish poultry farms, as shown in the TVN24 report “Shocking Footage from a Poultry Farm.” The investigative journalism based on material recorded by a former farm employee reveals a truth that’s much more disturbing than the invented conspiracies.

The Reality of Polish Poultry Farms

The TVN24 report shows horrific conditions on a Polish poultry farm: chickens crowded to the limit, dead birds lying among living ones, lack of proper hygiene and care. A former farm employee who decided to record these conditions says bluntly: “I lasted three weeks and change. I still have twisted heads before my eyes. And live chickens that are thrown out with the dead ones. They’re still alive when they go into the garbage.”

What’s particularly disturbing is that dead birds often aren’t promptly removed, leading to situations where decomposing carcasses lie among living chickens. The man also revealed cases of cannibalism among birds - “those chickens decompose and other chickens can eat them. It’s not normal, but it happens. Often.” These practices are not only unethical but pose a serious sanitary and epidemiological threat.

Professor Wojciech Pisula, an animal psychologist, evaluates Polish poultry farming unequivocally: “We can talk about welfare, but we can’t talk about it positively. Poultry farming, because of its massive scale, is a sector where it’s very difficult to maintain any level of decency for these animals.”

At the same time, when the reporter tried to meet with the farm owner, she received a warning letter from the National Poultry Council. According to KRD president Dariusz Goszczyński, journalists’ visits violate the principles of “biosecurity.” This concept has become a convenient argument to limit media access to farms, although some farmers can reconcile biosecurity requirements with transparency.

The Real Problem: Bird Flu and Breeding Conditions

While conspiracy theorists look for secret plans of global elites in the regulation on biosecurity and vaccinations, the real problem is much more mundane: terrible breeding conditions, excessive farm overcrowding, and spreading diseases.

The situation in the USA perfectly illustrates the real causes of the crisis. Americans are facing a dramatic shortage of eggs caused by a bird flu epidemic that has led to the death of about 50 million chickens. The problem is so serious that even Donald Trump mentioned it in his March address to Congress, blaming (what else) Joe Biden for the 59% increase in egg prices compared to the previous year.

The desperation of the USA has reached such a level that the Department of Agriculture sent inquiries to European countries, including Poland, asking for egg supplies. In a letter to the Danish Association of Egg Producers, we read: “We are still waiting for guidance from Washington regarding further steps, but do you have an estimated number of eggs that could be delivered to the United States (assuming they meet all import requirements)?”

However, as noted by a representative of the Finnish Poultry Association, “millions of birds have died there due to bird flu. In Finland, we have a total of four million laying hens. The amount we could export would not solve the shortage problem.”

Climate Change as the Real Culprit

The real culprit behind the poultry crisis isn’t any ecological conspiracy or depopulation plan, but a combination of several factors, among which climate change plays a key role. Global warming facilitates the migration of viruses and pathogens to new territories and increases their survival.

Bird flu, which once occurred seasonally, is now becoming a year-round problem. The virus mutates faster in intensive farming conditions, where thousands of birds are crammed into a small space. These are ideal conditions for disease spread.

Biosecurity, which conspiracy theorists present as an element of control planning, is in reality a necessary measure to protect against epidemics. Requirements for disinfection, transport registration, and proper disposal of dead animals don’t serve to “take control,” but attempt to prevent the spread of diseases that could lead to even greater economic losses. Well, for some it’s easier to put on a tinfoil hat than to wash their hands.

Anatomy of a Conspiracy Theory

The conspiracy theories that have emerged in response to the biosecurity regulation present a typical pattern of conspiratorial thinking:

1. Reversal of cause and effect: While the regulation is a response to a real epidemiological threat, conspiracists claim that the threat was invented to introduce the regulation.

2. Connecting unrelated facts: From biosecurity to eliminating cash, from poultry vaccinations to imposing veganism - conspiracy theorists connect distant concepts, creating the illusion of a larger plan.

3. Mythical “they”: In the background always lurks an undefined group of conspirators - sometimes “governments,” other times “12 entities that control the world’s food supply.”

4. Street-level “rationality”: Commenters cite anecdotal “evidence” (“I live in the countryside”, “these turkeys don’t look sick at all”) against scientific research and expert opinions.

What I call “street-level stupidity” is precisely this apparent rationality that rejects complex explanations in favor of simple, emotional narratives. It seizes upon individual observations and treats them as evidence, ignoring broader context and statistical data. I’m not a professional researcher, just a blogger, so I can directly “stigmatize” this phenomenon and call it by its name.

MPs Defending Polish Chickens

Particularly disturbing is that individuals holding public office engage in spreading conspiracy theories. MP Katarzyna Sójka from PiS posts alarms about the “extermination of Polish poultry farming” and accuses the European Union of intending to bankrupt farmers. This is rhetoric that feeds on fears and frustrations, redirecting anger from real problems (poor breeding conditions, climate change) to imaginary enemies.

Moreover, politicians like Sójka rarely propose real solutions to the poultry industry’s problems, such as improving breeding conditions, supporting farmers transitioning to more sustainable production methods, or preparing for challenges related to climate change. One might wonder where consumers and the quality of consumed meat fit into this concern. Instead of positive problem-solving, they fuel fear of “losing food sovereignty” and undermine trust in institutions trying to address real problems.

Hard Reality versus Street-Level Stupidity

The poultry crisis is real, but its causes are far from conspiracy theories. It’s the effect of extreme industrialization of animal production, climate change, and trade globalization. The regulation on biosecurity and vaccinations isn’t the beginning of a conspiracy aimed at destroying small farmers, but a desperate attempt to prevent the spread of diseases already devastating farms in the USA and other countries.

Street-level stupidity, which masquerades as “common sense,” not only fails to help solve these problems but actively harms by diverting attention from their real causes and possible solutions. Instead of looking for conspiracies everywhere, perhaps it’s worth considering whether a food production system based on maximum profit at the expense of animal welfare, the environment, and human health is really what we want.

I stopped consuming industrially produced meat several years ago and seek out eco and organic farms, because industrially produced meat is so disgusting in texture and taste that I suspect the commentariat defending this stuff has been paid by the industry… Meanwhile, Poland remains the EU leader in poultry production and the world’s third-largest exporter. So it’s no wonder we appear on the “target” - but not of mysterious conspirators, rather of ordinary laws of economics and challenges of the modern world.

Sources

Shocking Footage from a Poultry Farm. “I Couldn’t Just Leave It”

USA’s Egg Problem. Americans Seek Rescue, Europe Says “No”

• Conspiracy Theories