Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty says hundreds of trained practitioners are surveilling “high risk” parts of NSW after a suspected case of bird flu was identified on the mid-north coast, but she has urged consumers not to panic-buy chicken or eggs.
A Giant Petrel on Bennetts Beach in Hawks Nest tested positive for H5 influenza in preliminary testing on Friday. While the CSIRO will test samples to confirm if the bird is infected with the bird flu strain, the NSW government asked people to remain vigilant for other cases.
“Over 500 people are now working on surveillance, so they’re checking this area of the state — around Hawks Nest and the Mid North Coast — and other high-risk parts of the state, looking for birds,” Moriarty said.
The suspected case was the fifth bird confirmed with the influenza across Australia.
If the sample confirms it is bird flu, it will be the first case of the highly pathogenic form of H5 influenza in NSW, confirmed Dr Jo Coombe, the NSW Chief Veterinary Officer.
Moriarty said the risk for the state’s poultry industry had not increased, despite the suspected case. Previous outbreaks of bird flu have had a “devastating impact” overseas, Coombe said.
