‘Covid with wings’: Backyard chicken coops could bring down farming industry

Experts fear bird flu could spread quickly through backyard chicken coops and bring down the country’s farming industry, impacting eggs, chicken, beef and even dairy.

Backyard chicken coops could bring down the farming industry, with the August arrival of migratory birds sparking fears the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu strain could be difficult to contain, a Queensland infection prevention expert warns.

Egg, chicken and even beef and dairy farmers are at risk, University of the Sunshine Coast’s Dr Matt Mason reports.

H7N3 is known to pass to cows.

The professor calls the virus “Covid with wings”.

“If we consider this like Covid, where we enforced nationwide lockdowns to try and contain the spread, this is much the same — except all it takes is one infected bird to fly the virus from a backyard to a chicken farm, potentially devastating egg, chicken, and other farming industries on the way,” Dr Mason said.

Bird flu could be hard to contain.

While pasteurisation generally deactivates avian flu in milk and commercial eggs are washed during processing, he advises that people who are selling and buying raw milk and farm eggs need to be more vigilant.

The infection control lecturer claims farmers are relying on the vigilance of backyard bird owners.

He advises people with backyard flocks to ensure their footwear is kept clean, wash their hands before and after handling birds or eggs, quarantine new birds before integrating them to their flock, limit exposure of their flock to wild birds, clean eggs before using them and avoid contact between their birds and family pets.

“Those with backyard flocks should be vigilant to the signs of illness in their birds. If they suspect avian influenza within Queensland they should contact the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries immediately, or the Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline or their local veterinarian,” Dr Mason said.

Queenslanders should generally be on the look out for sick or dead birds and report them to a ranger, biosecurity officer, government vet, or call the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline.

There are five confirmed outbreaks of avian flu across Victoria.

“A child on a flight from India tested positive for the H5N1 strain that is known to pass between birds, cats and cattle but rarely humans. We’ve been told that threat is now contained, but we must remain vigilant as this strain has caused untold animal deaths globally since 2020,” Dr Mason said.

While birds are being culled to limit transmission these flocks cannot be immediately replaced with birds that are at productive age.