A third Australian farm has been detected with the highly-contagious bird flu (or avian flu) strain H7N8, with farmers warning that the country’s egg shortage crisis may be further prolonged because of the discovery.
The location of the farm is in Euroa, Victoria, and owned by egg producer Kinross Farms, with Agriculture Victoria announcing that the strain was also detected in two nearby properties.
The first case of bird flu was reported in May 2024.
Philip Szepe, Kinross Farms’ managing director, said that the outbreak was “detected quickly and managed immediately”, and confirmed that their egg production facility that housed 260,000 chickens will be destroyed.
“This latest outbreak was detected quickly and managed immediately, in line with well-established national response arrangements to manage an avian influenza outbreak,” Szepe said in a media release.
“We thank Agriculture Victoria for its ongoing efforts on the affected sites, and at our other sites where we continue to manage egg production and supply to customers, while maintaining strict biosecurity protocols.”
Hundreds of thousands of chickens were euthanised, bringing the number of chickens put down due to bird flu outbreaks in Australia up to 500,000.
Victoria’s Chief Veterinary Officer, Cameron Bell, said that other outbreaks at nearby properties is “possible”.
“It is possible we could have other positive or infected properties,” Bell stated.
Agriculture Australia also stated that the recent discovery was “not unexpected” and also urged everyone to report any unexplained poultry deaths or illnesses as a safety measure.
This news comes alongside major supermarket chains implementing purchase limits on eggs, with Coles telling 9News that it will keep the limits in place “for the foreseeable future”.
“Coles is closely monitoring the confirmed outbreak of avian influenza in Victoria. We will continue to work closely with all our suppliers to ensure eggs remain available for our customers,” a spokesperson told 9News.
“To manage availability, we will continue to maintain the purchase limits that have been in place since the first outbreak in Victoria in 2024.
“We kindly ask our customers to consider others in their community and purchase only what they need.”
Egg shortages have been affecting supermarkets across the country. (Source: Chris McLennan)
A Woolworths spokesperson also mentioned that there was higher demand for eggs over Christmas and New Years’, but supply has remained “stable”.
“Our egg supply has continued to improve and we are working closely with our suppliers to source as many eggs as possible.”
Woolworths also confirmed that two-purchase limits on eggs will continue nationwide, except in Western Australia.
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