H5 avian flu has officially arrived in Western Australia, first discovered days ago in a dead migratory seabird near Esperance (700 km south-east of Perth), and since found in numerous other birds.
Black swans and chicken farms are expected to be impacted next, but a wide swathe of species will potentially be affected, with local wildlife lacking any immunity to the disease. The H5 strain is thought to be responsible for the recent deaths of 13,000 elephant seal pups on the remote Australian territory of Heard Island, in the Southern Ocean.
Deputy leader of the Nationals Darren Chester MP said, ‘The suspected detection of H5 avian influenza in wild birds in Western Australia is a serious development and one for which Australia’s biosecurity system has been preparing for many years.
‘My immediate thoughts are with Western Australian producers, poultry farmers and local communities who will be concerned about the potential implications for their businesses and livelihoods. I thank the veterinarians, biosecurity officers and frontline personnel already responding to this situation,’ he said.
‘This situation reinforces the importance of maintaining strong biosecurity surveillance, preparedness and response capabilities. Food security and biosecurity are national priorities, and ongoing vigilance will be essential to protecting Australian agriculture, regional jobs and our international reputation.’
Expected disaster
WA Agriculture Minister Jackie Jarvis commended the response of private vets to the outbreak, which has been expected for some time. NSW Premier Chris Minns says an emergency facility has been established in Orange to monitor any outbreak in this state.
NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin says people should be ‘alert but not alarmed’ at this stage.
If the experience of other countries are anything to go by, it will be very difficult to restrain the spread of H5 to one area, with migratory seabirds covering thousands of kilometres.
Wildlife species thought to be at particular risk include black swans, ducks, Australian sea lions, little penguins and Tasmanian devils, with the potential for mass wildlife mortality across multiple species, although deaths have been confined to sea birds so far.
CSIRO is yet to confirm the precise source of the latest disease, but H5 avian flu is thought to have originally become established via the intensive poultry industry, with the confinement of distressed animals in factory farming conditions increasing the chances of viral transmission and mutations which then go on to affect other species.
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