When Pauline Henderson went to pick up her chicks from the post office, she never imagined what she’d find. While the U.S Postal Service is an integral part of her family poultry farm, this trip was different. Out of the 800 chicks she ordered from a Pennsylvania hatchery, all of them were dead.
Henderson is not alone in experiencing devastating losses in recent weeks. Although she’s never had problems receiving her chicks on time and unscathed, recent budget cuts and chaos permeating the U.S Postal Service are now trickling down to the consumer. According to Maine’s Democratic Rep. Cellie Pingree, over 4,800 chicks arrived dead at their destinations in August 2020. (1)
Post Office Changes Spur Controversy
The recent post office controversy in the U.S. centers largely around the newly-elected Post Master General. Louis DeJoy, a fundraiser and presidential ally of Donald Trump, took office in June and began making changes. Postal workers were upset by cuts in overtime, limited post office hours, and the resulting mail delivery delays.
Both sides of the political spectrum are defending and arguing against DeJoy’s actions. Because the 2020 presidential election us just months away, worries about mail-in ballots being affected soared as a number of mail sorters and blue mailboxes were removed from U.S. cities. While DeJoy rolled back many of these changes until after elections, ripple effects from these cutbacks have the nation in an uproar. (2)
Ripple Effects Felt By Maine Farmers
Although the post office controversy has become increasingly politicized, Maine farmers have to deal with the real-world effects. Rep. Pingree sent a letter to DeJoy and the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue. In it, Pingree wanted to bring the experience of local farmers to life so that their losses are fully understood. “It’s one more of the consequences of this disorganization, this sort of chaos they’ve created at the post office,” Pingree told the Portland Press Herald. “Nobody thought through when they were thinking of slowing down the mail.”
While some backyard hobbyists have experienced chick losses, poultry farmers like Henderson could lose their livelihood. Since Maine has no hatcheries of its own, poultry farms have always relied on the postal service to deliver chicks from other states. USPS has done this since 1918, the only entity that ships live chicks and other small animals. For Henderson, any alternatives are costly and result in time lost for workers. With each bird worth about $32–depending on if it’s sold or processed–the monetary losses are phenomenal.
Pingree aims to make DeJoy and Perdue aware of the catastrophic losses Maine farmers are facing. It’s not just about the money; there are ethical and emotional concerns as well. “Mortality losses from delays and mishandling are not only hugely problematic from an animal welfare perspective,” Pingree wrote in her letter, “but have also taken an emotional toll on the recipient.” She adds that many chick recipients are families building flocks, or children raising birds for 4-H or FFA. Dealing with these types of losses could discourage future generations from pursuing farm life, having far-reaching consequences to the future of farming. (1)
