Tassie on high alert over avian flu crisis

THE nationwide egg shortage caused by recent outbreaks of bird flu is biting across Tasmania, with empty and severely depleted egg shelves in supermarkets a common occurrence. 

Recent outbreaks of high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) reported on mainland poultry farms have led to disturbances in the egg supply across Tasmania. 

The impacts are being felt statewide, with supermarkets implementing customer limits due to the scarcity of eggs and some shelves being completely empty of eggs. 

Nationwide, 16 cases of HPAI have been reported on Australian poultry farms: eight in Victoria, six in NSW, and two in the ACT, resulting in the culling of about 2,000,000 chickens (about seven per cent of the national flock of laying hens). All infected farms in these regions have been depopulated to control the spread of the virus. 

There have been no cases of bird flu recorded in Tasmania. However a multiagency training day was recently held in Hobart to prepare for a possible spread of avian influenza that could threaten seabirds in Antarctica and Macquarie Island. 

Rookery Creek Eggs owner Denis Giasli expressed concerns about the implications of these outbreaks for Tasmania’s egg supply. 

He said the Avian influenza outbreak on the mainland highlights how insecure Tasmania’s egg supply is. 

The current crisis has highlighted the importance of strengthening local production of eggs. 

“We need to grow the egg industry here in Tassie, we should be growing 100 per cent of our eggs, not 50 per cent, as we currently are,” he said. 

“Relying on the mainland for eggs is not ideal.” 

In response to the outbreaks, federal, state, and territory governments, alongside the affected poultry and egg industries, are collaborating to manage the situation through established response plans. 

Victoria is implementing a nationally agreed response plan, which is regularly reviewed as the situation evolves, while a similar plan is being prepared for New South Wales.