There are nervous times ahead for the NSW poultry industry, with one producer believing it is “only a matter of time” before commercial operations are affected by H5 bird flu.
The state’s first suspected positive case has been identified near Hawks Nest on the Mid North Coast.
Samples from a giant petrel have been sent to the CSIRO to confirm if it had the H5 high pathogenicity avian influenza, or bird flu, strain.
NSW supplies more than a third of all eggs and chickens consumed across the country, with suppliers now locked in an anxious wait for more news.
Australian Eggs managing director, Rowan McMonnies, issued a statement saying the industry was “both optimistic and realistic at this stage”.
Rowan McMonnies says that so far, there have been limited detections in migratory seabirds. (Supplied)
“It was inevitable that there would be an H5 avian influenza incursion in Australia, but it remains unclear whether this one will spread,” he said.
“The early signs are positive with limited detections in migratory seabirds and none in resident wildlife or commercial poultry, despite significantly increased surveillance.
“This will need to hold for several weeks before confidence can start to grow that the detections will remain isolated.”
David Mason, who runs a poultry operation at Bowraville on the Mid North Coast, manages around 1,000 birds.
“We may not get it in the industry until perhaps next year, but I believe it’s only a matter of time,” he said.
“If it got into my flock it means all the birds have to be culled and that would probably be the end of my business.”
The state government has informed the commercial poultry industry, but at this stage, there has been no spread there. (ABC Riverland: Shannon Pearce)
Mr Mason said he had decided to sell some of his stock as a precaution.
“I’ve had a lifetime in the industry, so I’m pretty aware of biosecurity,” he said.
“I’ll probably get rid of the ducks and geese now that it’s in Australia, as they’re out free range.
“My other poultry are in deep litter sheds in a barn system, so they’re at least well away from wild birds.”
Farmers and producers across NSW have to endure an anxious wait as further testing determines how far the bird flu has spread. (ABC News: Morgan Timms)
NSW Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said the government had informed the commercial poultry industry, but at this stage, there was no spread there.
“There is no evidence of spread or large-scale deaths in local wildlife or any detections in poultry,” she said.
“So there’s no need to panic. Keep buying eggs; keep buying chicken.”
The NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) last week announced it had set up an incident response team at the State Coordination Centre in Orange.
The DPIRD’s deputy chief veterinary officer, Rhys Powell, said at the time that team members were logging about 100 calls a day reporting sick bird sightings, although many could be related to the same incident.
“Their job is to coordinate the surveillance … and then make sure that we’ve got plans to implement so that we can have swift action and do the best we can for the wildlife and the commercial poultry industry,” he said.
“I’m cautiously optimistic, but we are planning for the worst.
“”What we see overseas is that … it is going to be devastating for the wildlife.”
Tiffany Sullivan says the H5 Bird Flu strain has the capability to wipe out an entire species. (ABC News)
Veterinarian Tiffany Sullivan, from Coffs Coast Wildlife Sanctuary on the Mid North Coast, said it had plans in place to deal with the arrival of the disease.
“We’re not taking any migratory seabirds just because it’s too much of a risk to the population we do have,” she said.
“It’s going to heavily impact wild populations, and it can definitely wipe out species quite easily.”
Australia was the last continent free of the H5 strain of bird flu until it was detected in migratory seabirds in Western Australia, and then South Australia last month.
It is a different strain to the H7 bird flu, which spread through NSW, ACT and Victorian egg farms in 2024-25, forcing widespread quarantine measures and the culling of 1.8 million birds.
Mr Powell said NSW farmers should take precautions.
“What we’re asking them to do is activate biosecurity plans that they have already,” he said.
“The key point is to try to minimise contact with wildlife.”
