Was the bird flu outbreak planned by the "New World Order" and "globalists" as part of a "big reset" plot to kill healthy poultry in a bid to hurt independent Croatian farmers? No, that's not true: Food and animal health experts have told Lead Stories the claim is misinformation and is not based on credible facts.
The claim originated from a video (archived here) published on TikTok on November 22, 2023. It opened with a man speaking (audio translated from Croatian to English by Lead Stories staff):
My dear friends, even a few years ago before the so called Covid-19 virus started I spoke to everyone around me, based on the documents I had, to talk about a new plan for sustainable development which is actually a plan to subjugate humanity through what they call the new world order created by the financial elite, the powerful people we call globalists.
I told everyone one very important thing, and that thing was that, in addition to having a plan to euthanize people in different ways, and they have been doing it for years through food, through drugs, through pharmaceutical preparations, through vaccines, through air poisoning and so on, they are planning to euthanize people, practically, slowly, but perhaps not as successfully as they would like.
One of the key points is that they want to destroy every form of independent human food cultivation, and the first places are the small farmers and those who have personal poultry production, pig slaughterers, livestock farmers, they are one of the first targets because for them, for the new world order and for the plan that they have for the so-called big reset, because it does not fit that we own our food sources.
They want us to be completely dependent on the food that they will deliver it, and that food will not be suitable for us, but regardless they must first stop us from being able to produce our own food.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Mon Dec 11 07:35:14 2023 UTC)
The "New World Order" is a conspiracy theory that claims powerful global elites are plotting to dominate and rule the world via a worldwide government. The "big reset" or "great reset" is another similar conspiracy theory that global elites are trying to limit freedoms and push radical policies. Lead Stories has previously debunked a similar claim to the one above that such a group is using a bird flu plot for control.
Croatia is dealing with an outbreak of avian influenza (archived here) along with at least seven other European countries (archived here).
The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) runs a bird flu radar to alert EU member states to outbreaks. Regarding the specific claims in the TikTok video, a spokesperson for the agency told Lead Stories by email on December 1, 2023:
EFSA is not aware of any evidence that could support this statement. There is plenty of scientific evidence underlying where, when and how the virus originated and spread across continents and epidemiological seasons.
The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) agrees, and a representative told Lead Stories by email on December 8, 2023:
The claim that "globalists" created a bird flu outbreak as part of a euthanasia plan to stop independent farmers is not based on credible evidence and is considered misinformation. Conspiracies like these lack scientific support and often arise from unfounded speculations ... Misinformation is a common issue surrounding health crises, including outbreaks of diseases like avian influenza. It is crucial for individuals to fact-check information and rely on trusted sources such as health agencies, government organisations, and reputable news outlets to stay informed about the actual situation and recommended precautions.
