For humans \u2013 especially those who don\u2019t come into close contact with infected animals \u2013 the risk of getting sick is low<\/a>. But Australia\u2019s multibillion-dollar<\/a> poultry sector is on high alert.<\/p>\n A severe outbreak wouldn\u2019t just mean the possible deaths of millions of birds<\/a> (either from the virus itself or due to culls to contain it). It could also lead to export bans on Australian poultry products and create huge costs for producers<\/a> to decontaminate affected farms, despite government support. <\/p>\n It\u2019s important to emphasise that at this stage, H5N1 has not been detected<\/a> in any commercial poultry farms or native and endemic wild birds in Australia. <\/p>\n So, how are we preparing to deal with a possible outbreak? And if one happens, what could it mean at the checkout for the price of chicken, eggs and other poultry products?<\/p>\n Around the country, but especially in WA and SA, the poultry industry has already begun increasing biosecurity measures as a precaution. <\/p>\n Inghams, for example, Australia\u2019s largest poultry producer, has locked down<\/a> its operations in WA, blocking non-essential access to farms.<\/p>\n Inghams is also seeking a \u201cregional housing order<\/a>\u201d from the federal government\u2019s chief veterinary officer, which would allow it to bring its free-range flocks indoors. <\/p>\n That\u2019s because at this stage, the industry\u2019s priority is protecting flocks from exposure to wild birds as much as possible. <\/p>\n These measures are on top of routine biosecurity measures<\/a> for poultry farms, which typically include: <\/p>\n The H5N1 strain is highly lethal to chickens, as well as turkeys and quail. Other birds grown commercially, such as ducks, can also be infected, but are more of a concern because they can be \u201csilent carriers<\/a>\u201d of the disease, sometimes able to spread it without symptoms. <\/p>\n Australia has never had an outbreak of this H5N1 strain of bird flu, which first emerged in Asia about three decades ago<\/a>. Until this month, we had famously been the last continent on Earth deemed free of the virus. <\/p>\n But Australia has successfully dealt with outbreaks of other bird flu strains in the past, which at the time dampened production of chicken meat and eggs.<\/p>\n Most recently, from mid-2024 through to early 2025, poultry farms in Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory faced an outbreak<\/a> of multiple strains of the H7-type bird flu. The main difference with H5 is that these H7 variants have never been linked to mass wild bird deaths or mammalian cases, including people.<\/p>\n H7 was declared successfully eradicated<\/a> in July 2025. But this achievement required the culling of more than 10%<\/a> of Australia\u2019s egg-laying chicken flock or some 2.4 million birds. Production fell and egg prices rose<\/a> sharply. <\/p>\n <\/a> The playbook for dealing with H5N1 would be very similar. But the stakes and uncertainties are higher, because this strain is deadlier and can infect a broader range of animals (and therefore spread more easily). <\/p>\n It\u2019s no guarantee of what would happen here, but looking to the United States provides an illustration of how devastating an H5N1 outbreak can be. <\/p>\n Since 2022, the US has been dealing with a severe outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza. More than 200 million<\/a> birds have died, either from the disease itself or due to being culled. <\/p>\n Australia\u2019s commercial chicken flocks are routinely vaccinated<\/a> for a range of common diseases. And a vaccine exists for the H5N1 strain of bird flu. <\/p>\n So, you might be surprised to learn that not only are Australia\u2019s commercial flocks not vaccinated for bird flu, but this vaccine isn\u2019t permitted for use in Australia except in very limited circumstances<\/a>. <\/p>\n The main reason for this is that Australia has sought to maintain<\/a> our \u201cfree without vaccination\u201d status for bird flu, which allows us to export poultry products freely anywhere in the world. <\/p>\n If there was a major outbreak in Australia, meaning no country\u2019s poultry industry could be declared free of the virus, the business case for using the vaccine would likely change. <\/p>\n Right now, it\u2019s reasonable for Australia\u2019s poultry farmers to be highly vigilant. But we shouldn\u2019t get carried away and panic. <\/p>\n As a consumer, it remains safe to eat poultry meat and eggs if you\u2019ve handled and cooked them properly. If there remain no confirmed cases yet in commercial facilities, there will be no impact on the supply or prices of egg and poultry meat. <\/p>\n Australian authorities have had a long time to prepare for a possible outbreak and develop plans which are now being put into place. This included \u201cExercise Volare<\/a>\u201d in 2024, which brought together government departments and senior industry leaders to plan for different potential scenarios of an outbreak of this virus. <\/p>\n
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\n Read more:
\n Bird flu has spread to two Australian states. Here\u2019s how it could accelerate our extinction crisis<\/a>
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\n <\/em><\/p>\nLocking down<\/h2>\n
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Have we been here before?<\/h2>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/744113\/original\/file-20260625-57-7gtpi0.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&rect=0%2C263%2C5040%2C2835&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip\")
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\n Jono Searle\/AAP<\/a><\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLessons from the US<\/h2>\n
What about vaccination?<\/h2>\n
No need to panic<\/h2>\n
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\n Read more:
\n Bird flu has spread to two Australian states. Here\u2019s how it could accelerate our extinction crisis<\/a>
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