After being detected for the first time in two seabirds in Western Australia less than a week ago, the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has now arrived in a second state, with a case confirmed in South Australia. For humans, especially those who do not come into close contact with infected animals, the risk of getting sick remains low. However, Australia's multibillion-dollar poultry sector is on high alert.
Potential Impact of a Severe Outbreak
A severe outbreak would not only mean the possible deaths of millions of birds, either from the virus itself or due to culls to contain it, but could also lead to export bans on Australian poultry products. Additionally, it would create huge costs for producers to decontaminate affected farms, despite government support. It is important to emphasize that at this stage, H5N1 has not been detected in any commercial poultry farms or native and endemic wild birds in Australia.
Biosecurity Measures Being Implemented
Around the country, but especially in Western Australia and South Australia, the poultry industry has already begun increasing biosecurity measures as a precaution. Inghams, Australia's largest poultry producer, has locked down its operations in WA, blocking non-essential access to farms. Inghams is also seeking a “regional housing order” from the federal government’s chief veterinary officer, which would allow it to bring its free-range flocks indoors. The industry’s priority is protecting flocks from exposure to wild birds as much as possible.
These measures are on top of routine biosecurity protocols for poultry farms, which typically include limiting who can visit farms, not allowing workers to keep backyard chooks or other birds at home, preventing staff from working across different poultry facilities in a short window of time, strict control at the entrance of every farm (which may include showering and usage of company clothes), and implementing measures to deter wild birds and control rodent and insect populations.
Nature of the H5N1 Strain
The H5N1 strain is highly lethal to chickens, as well as turkeys and quail. Other commercially grown birds, such as ducks, can also be infected but are more concerning because they can be “silent carriers” of the disease, sometimes spreading it without symptoms.
Previous Outbreaks in Australia
Australia has never had an outbreak of this H5N1 strain of bird flu, which first emerged in Asia about three decades ago. Until this month, Australia was famously the last continent on Earth deemed free of the virus. However, Australia has successfully dealt with outbreaks of other bird flu strains in the past, which dampened production of chicken meat and eggs. Most recently, from mid-2024 through to early 2025, poultry farms in Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory faced an outbreak 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. H7 was declared successfully eradicated in July 2025, but this achievement required the culling of more than 10% of Australia’s egg-laying chicken flock, or some 2.4 million birds. Production fell and egg prices rose sharply.
Lessons from the United States
The playbook for dealing with H5N1 would be very similar to previous outbreaks, but the stakes and uncertainties are higher because this strain is deadlier and can infect a broader range of animals, making it easier to spread. Looking to the United States provides an illustration of how devastating an H5N1 outbreak can be. Since 2022, the US has been dealing with a severe outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, with more than 200 million birds having died, either from the disease itself or due to being culled.
Vaccination Considerations
Australia’s commercial chicken flocks are routinely vaccinated for a range of common diseases, and a vaccine exists for the H5N1 strain. However, not only are Australia’s commercial flocks not vaccinated for bird flu, but this vaccine is not permitted for use in Australia except in very limited circumstances. The main reason is that Australia has sought to maintain its “free without vaccination” status for bird flu, which allows it to export poultry products freely anywhere in the world. If there was a major outbreak in Australia, meaning no country’s poultry industry could be declared free of the virus, the business case for using the vaccine would likely change.
Current Situation and Advice
Right now, it is reasonable for Australia’s poultry farmers to be highly vigilant, but consumers should not panic. It remains safe to eat poultry meat and eggs if handled and cooked properly. As there are still no confirmed cases in commercial facilities, there will be no impact on the supply or prices of eggs and poultry meat. 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 “Exercise Volare” in 2024, which brought together government departments and senior industry leaders to plan for different potential scenarios of an outbreak of this virus.
