ESPERANCE, Western Australia — The current outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza has been a thorn in the side of poultry industries across the world. From the United States down to South America and out to Europe and Asia, poultry producers have been working hard to fight HPAI, but it has persisted.
Now the virus has reached the one continent that had remained untouched by virus throughout this outbreak: Australia. On June 20, the Australian government announced that a detection of bird flu was confirmed by the CSIRO Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness.
The virus was found in a single brown skua, a migratory seabird, in Western Australia. The sick bird was initially found in an isolated area in Southwestern Australia on June 14, according to the detection announcement.
Additionally, samples were taken from a second bird, a sick giant petrel, in the same region that resulted in a suspected positive result at the Western Australian government lab. The giant petrel is also a migratory seabird.
“The Australian Government is well prepared for a potential outbreak of H5 bird flu, with well-established national response arrangements in place to respond to emergency animal diseases, including H5 bird flu,” Julie Collins, Australian minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry, said. “We take the risks of H5 bird flu seriously which is why our Government has invested more than $113 million to strengthen our nation’s preparedness.”
Right before this detection came to light, the Australian Government announced on June 18 that the Albanese Labor Government was investing over $113 million into Australia’s H5 preparedness so that they would be ready if H5 reached Australia.
“This detection is being taken seriously, and Australia has been preparing for this scenario for several years,” Dr. Beth Cookson, Australian chief veterinary officer, said. “Australia is well prepared to respond to H5 bird flu and will react quickly to protect poultry production and reduce impacts on wildlife and communities.”
Since these detections were found in wild birds and not any commercial poultry, Australia will keep its status as free from HPAI in poultry in accordance with international standards, the announcement noted. Despite this continued free status, one Australian company is taking the maximum precaution in response to the detections.
On June 22, Ingham’s announced the implementation of a complete lockdown, preventing all non-essential access, across all the company’s West Australia farms and processing operations. The company’s chicken breeder farms and grower network are located primarily in regions north of Perth, which are approximately 690 to 700 kilometers from Esperance, the company stated in an announcement. The company doesn’t want to take any risks when it comes to taking care of their chickens.
For more information about the Australian detection, visit the Australian Government’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry website.
