Bird flu has been detected on a commercial egg farm in Sydney’s Hawkesbury region, triggering an emergency biosecurity lockdown.
Analysis found the presence of high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI), a different strain of bird flu to the outbreak in Victoria. A spokesperson from the NSW agriculture minister’s office said the outbreak was potentially from wild birds.
The NSW government has enacted its emergency biosecurity incident plan.Credit: Jessica Shapiro
The presence of the disease, which spreads quickly and has a high mortality rate among chickens, was confirmed by the CSIRO on Wednesday.
The farm was immediately locked down in accordance with the NSW government’s emergency protocols, with the birds, other animals and equipment on the farm now in quarantine to prevent further spread of the disease.
A one- to two-kilometre area around the farm is expected to come under biosecurity controls later on Wednesday as a precaution.
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A government spokesperson said there was currently no threat to consumers, and shoppers should not worry about buying eggs from supermarkets.
A different strain of bird flu has spread through Victoria in recent months, with seven farms in the state found with the disease. In that state, more than one million birds are expected to be killed to prevent the flu from spreading.
More to come.