‘Poultry have been infected’: Bird flu confirmed at Victorian chicken farm
Bird flu has been detected at a chicken farm in northern Victoria, leading biosecurity officers to put the farm into lockdown.
Agriculture Victoria said on Saturday that CSIRO testing had confirmed the presence of the highly pathogenic H7N8 strain of avian influenza at a farm near Euroa.
The outbreak in 2024 forced 2 million chickens to be killed. Credit: Jason South
Authorities said it was a different strain to the one that led to 2 million chickens being killed during a 2024 outbreak that affected Victoria’s egg supply. It’s also different to the H5N1 strain that has killed millions of animals globally and fatally infected a US man last month.
Agriculture Victoria staff are at the farm in the eastern section of the Strathbogie Shire establishing a five-kilometre quarantine zone and investigating the situation.
Victoria’s Acting Chief Veterinarian Cameron Bell said the outbreak was likely spread by a wild bird to the farm’s flock.
“Unfortunately, despite the business having excellent biosecurity controls in place, poultry have been infected,” Bell said.
Wild birds, such as migratory ducks and geese, carry about 140 different types of the virus and can infect chickens and ducks on farms as they pass by.
Bell said that while cases among humans in direct contact with animals infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses were possible, the risk to the public remained low.
He also said eggs and poultry products remained safe for consumption.
The chief veterinarian will hold a press conference in Bendigo on Sunday morning.
The 2024 outbreak, which contaminated 16 farms across Victoria, NSW and the ACT and forced the killing of chickens, triggered an egg shortfall and forced major supermarkets to ration supplies.
This latest strain detected in Victoria was also found in NSW’s Hawkesbury region last year.
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