‘Safe to Eat’: Aussie farmer reassures consumers after concerns bird flu has crossed state line
Supermarket eggs and chicken are “safe to eat”, Gavin Millard, President of the Esperance Poultry Association, has reassured Australian consumers.
This follows fears bird flu H5N1 has crossed state lines from Western Australia into South Australia, with two dead birds currently being tested.
Millard told Today the there are growing concerns in the industry, saying “longer this is going the more concerns people are starting to show, especially people with their backyard poultry”.
There are concerns bird flu has crossed from WA into SA, with testing underway. iStockphot
He said poultry farmers are taking precautions, including “keeping poultry shedded as much as possible” to protect against exposure to wild bird populations that may have been impacted by the virus.
“Any way of keeping wild birds out is our priority at the moment.”
When asked about a potential impact on egg and chicken supplies and prices in supermarkets, Millard said it’s “a little too far away at the moment” to gauge potential impact.
“They are telling us that eggs and the birds themselves when it comes to the meat side of it will be safe to eat ... but until it progresses, we’ve just sort of got to hold onto our hats and wait for this to evolve.”
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has advised that bird flu is not a food safety risk, confirming that the virus is not known to transmit to humans via food. They state it is perfectly safe to eat commercially produced poultry and eggs.
The Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC) also stated that it is entirely safe to eat properly handled, prepared, and cooked poultry meat and eggs.
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) confirmed alongside federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins that Australian poultry and eggs are completely safe to consume, noting that standard strict biosecurity and commercial screening measures prevent sick birds from ever entering the food supply chain.
Millard added that the risk to humans is “really low”.
“Eating eggs and the chickens is still quite okay. There’s nothing that’s been found inside the poulty holders. At this stage its fine,” he said.
“Its more a worry what direction we go as this progresses.”
Supermarket eggs and chicken 'safe to eat'. Jo Abi
Nine.com.au continues to monitor egg and chicken prices at major supermarkets across the country.
So far prices have remained stable since the first case of bird flu was confirmed in Australia on June 20.
The first case of bird flu was confirmed in Australia on June 20. Jo Abi
A wildlife expert has warned that Australia faces a potential catastrophe due to the deadly H5 bird flu.
Dr Carol Booth from the Invasive Species Council said Australia could be in for “a lot of heartbreak”.
“At the moment, we’re really biting our nails and waiting anxiously to find out whether bird flu has actually established in Australian wildlife,” she told Today.
The situation is being closely monitored. Jo Abi
“I mean, we might have got lucky and sick birds that have arrived may not have interacted with other wildlife and spread the virus.
“But it’s also likely we’re at the start of what we’ve been fearing for several years now, the start of the spread of a really deadly new disease in Australia.”
Chicken supplier Ingham’s has blocked all non-essential access to its WA operations and moved to higher biosecurity protocols.
