Bird flu eradicated in Meredith, Agriculture Victoria lifts quarantine

Quarantine has been lifted on the final property hit by the bird flu in Victoria with the outbreak now eradicated after more than seven months.

Avian influenza warning signs in Meredith's main street during the outbreak. Picture: Alison Wynd

The bird flu outbreak that left farms reeling and saw thousands of chickens culled in Victoria is officially over, with quarantine lifted on the final property in the state hit by the infection.

In 2024, Victoria experienced Australia’s largest avian influenza outbreak.

Between May 22 and June 24, seven commercial poultry properties near Meredith and one near Terang had birds test positive for high pathogenicity H7 avian influenza.

The outbreak resulted in thousands of birds being put down.

Standard practice is to gas birds in bins with an atmosphere of 40 per cent carbon dioxide.

Victoria’s acting chief veterinary officer Dr Cameron Bell said the two strains of avian influenza were successfully eradicated.

‘Victoria’s response included undertaking extensive surveillance, with testing of 38,000 birds taking place,” he said.

“The collaborative efforts of government, the chicken meat and egg industries, and the community have ensured that we could respond effectively to the outbreak.”

During the outbreak, restricted and controlled areas were put in place, limiting the movement of eggs and poultry to and from farms in the region.

Agriculture Victoria also undertook contact tracing to determine the source and spread of the infection.

Eggs and poultry products from supermarkets remained safe to consume during the outbreak and the risk to the public of contracting the virus was low.

Poultry farmers, backyard flock owners or bird owners, are urged to report any unexplained bird deaths to their private vet, Agriculture Victoria on 136 186 or the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.

Originally published as Bird flu eradicated in Meredith, Agriculture Victoria lifts quarantine