Blow as new H7 bird flu outbreak found days after Australia declared eradication

Just days after Australia declared it had eradicated a highly contagious strain of bird flu, an outbreak has been detected in Victoria.

Just days after declaring Australia free of bird flu, a new outbreak has been detected at a poultry farm in Victoria.

The Victorian Department of Agriculture announced the outbreak on February 8, revealing cases of high pathogenicity H7N8 had been confirmed in the north of the state.

The strain is different from those that impacted Victorian poultry farms last year, and different to the H5N1 strain wreaking havoc in the US and other parts of the world.

A control order restricting an area about 5km around the impacted property has been established, as well as a control area in the in the eastern portion of the Strathbogie Shire to help prevent the virus spreading.

Just days earlier, on February 6, the federal government had told the World Organisation for Animal Health the nation was free from H7 avian influenza, declaring the strain “eradicated” following outbreaks in Victoria, NSW and the ACT.

A fresh outbreak of H7N8 avian flu has been found in Victoria, just days after the federal government declared the disease eradicated.

In a statement, Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said there had been no new detections since July 2024, following what had been Australia’s “most significant avian disease incident to date”.

“Reclaiming Australia’s freedom from HPAI is an important avenue to engage trading partners on the full resumption of trade where restrictions may remain in place due to last year’s outbreaks,” the statement read.

Victoria’s Acting Chief Veterinarian Cameron Bell said the affected poultry farm had acted swiftly once it suspected the disease had infected its flock.

“Avian influenza is commonly spread by wild birds, and unfortunately, despite the business having excellent biosecurity controls in place, poultry have been infected,” he said.

“The business has acted quickly to identify the infection within the flock and are working closely with Agriculture Victoria officers to contain the outbreak.”

The discovery is bad news for egg lovers, with farms struggling to keep up supply following devastating outbreaks last year. Picture: NewsWire / Nicki Connolly

While cases of bird flu in humans who come into direct contact with an infected animal, the risk to the public is low, the Victorian Department of Agriculture said.

Eggs and poultry products available in supermarkets are safe to consume.

However, prices are expected to remain high, with the 2024 outbreak decimating supply as thousands of farmed birds were put down in a bid to rid properties of the disease.

Authorities confirmed in late January a combination of high-seasonal demand, bird flu and industry guidelines had contributed to a national egg shortage.

Originally published as Blow as new H7 bird flu outbreak found days after Australia declared eradication