Key facts
- Australia confirmed two cases of H5N1 bird flu in wild birds.
- Papua New Guinea suspended all poultry and egg imports from Australia.
- South Australia is investigating potential bird flu cases in dead seabirds.
- Western Australia has a suspected positive case in a southern giant petrel.
- Australian officials maintain that the country's poultry sector remains free from H5 bird flu.
- Major Australian chicken processor Ingham's has locked down its Western Australian sites.
Australia has intensified surveillance and testing for the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu after confirming two cases in wild birds. The detections have prompted Papua New Guinea to suspend all imports of Australian poultry and eggs, impacting a significant export market for Australia.
Tests are currently underway in South Australia after dead seabirds were found. While no cases have been confirmed in the state, authorities are investigating reports of sick or dead birds and increasing testing frequency. The initial cases were reported near Esperance in Western Australia, where multiple samples from dead or unwell birds have been sent for testing.
Despite the detections in wild birds, Australian officials maintain that the country's poultry sector remains free from H5 bird flu. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry is actively engaging with Papua New Guinea to lift the import ban, which it deems unnecessary given Australia's HPAI-free status in its agricultural production systems. Australian chicken meat exports reached a record A$133 million in the 2023-24 financial year, with Papua New Guinea being the largest overseas customer. Major poultry producer Ingham's has implemented lockdown procedures at its Western Australian plants as a precautionary measure.