Avian influenza detected in Victoria

Updated 27 June 2024

Agriculture Victoria is responding to the detection of avian influenza at 8 Victorian poultry farms. Avian influenza is a viral disease of birds found globally. Virus strains are described as low pathogenicity (LPAI) or high pathogenicity (HPAI).

Seven infected properties near Meredith are confirmed to have a high pathogenicity H7N3 strain of avian influenza, and one infected property near Terang is confirmed to have a high pathogenicity H7N9 strain.

A comprehensive surveillance program has been in place in the restricted and control areas in order to detect the presence of such viruses. The detection of infected properties shows that this program is working well to detect infections so they can be eliminated before spreading outside restricted areas.

Restricted and control areas are in place surrounding all infected premises, within both the Golden Plains and Corangamite shires.

Agriculture Victoria is providing on-the-ground support and communicated that poultry and other domestic birds and wild birds in the area will be closely monitored for any additional cases.

Australia has effective, nationally agreed response and cost-sharing arrangements in place to address animal disease incursions and outbreaks, and this has swung into action to support Victoria. On 22 May, the Consultative Committee on Emergency Animal Diseases met to discuss immediate response plans, and the National Emergency Animal Disease Management Group met on 23 May.

Australia is well practiced in responding to disease incidents in poultry and has successfully responded to 8 outbreaks of HPAI in poultry since 1976.

The Australian Government has been preparing for a possible avian influenza outbreak for some time, with Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) recently leading two national workshops to refine response coordination activity for HPAI.

These meetings brought together representatives from Commonwealth and state and territory government agencies and other bodies to ensure national preparedness actions are coordinated between the animal and human health and environmental sectors.

For more information on highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), go to the dedicated web page on the AVA site, which points to a range of resources on HPAI—click here.