{"id":374673,"date":"2026-07-29T17:30:57","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T07:30:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=374673"},"modified":"2026-07-29T17:34:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T07:34:10","slug":"nff-warning-on-bird-flu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2026\/07\/29\/nff-warning-on-bird-flu\/","title":{"rendered":"NFF Warning On Bird Flu"},"content":{"rendered":"
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NFF CEO Mike Guerin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

July 29, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

The National Farmers\u2019 Federation has urged farmers to review their biosecurity plans urgently, as the H5N1 strain of avian influenza spreads.<\/p>\n

Testing confirmed on Wednesday that the influenza strain has spread between wild birds on Australian soil for the first time since the disease\u2019s detection last month.<\/p>\n

The local transmission of H5 bird flu is between a number of Greater Crested Terns in South Australia, this is the first time the virus has been confirmed as being transmitted between birds\u00a0<\/strong>within Australia.<\/p>\n

The Greater Crested Terns returned positive test results for the H5 virus, which have now been sent to the CSIRO for confirmation.<\/p>\n

NFF CEO Mike Guerin said the news was unwelcome but not unexpected.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, this is a turning point in the spread of this disease,\u201d Mr Guerin said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe take comfort in the fact there\u2019s been no mass mortality events, and there have been no detections in agriculture.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut while this outbreak is currently a concern for wildlife, now is the time for all farmers to review their biosecurity plans.<\/p>\n

\u201cBird flu poses a serious threat to poultry, as well as a much smaller cross-species risk across livestock industries.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s imperative that farmers record accurate people and animal movements in their biosecurity plans and look for ways to reduce risks.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are now 27 confirmed cases of H5 bird flu in Australia, across four States: 14 in South Australia, 10 in Western Australia, two in NSW and one in Queensland.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mr Guerin said the spread of the disease reinforced the importance of strong biosecurity.<\/p>\n

“We continue to advocate for the strengthening of Australia\u2019s biosecurity systems,” Mr Guerin said.<\/p>\n

“We’ll keep working closely with government and our members to monitor the situation and support a coordinated national response.<\/p>\n

“Industry and government have both invested heavily for years to prepare for this, and have learned lessons from outbreaks of other strains, including H7.”<\/p>\n

Farmers should report any sick birds or animals to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800-675-888.<\/p>\n