WA's first bird flu case reveals new biosecurity playbook for Esperance growers

Australia’s first confirmed case of highly infectious avian influenza over the weekend was detected in a wild seabird near Esperance in Western Australia, ending the country’s clean record since 2020. Testing by CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACPD) confirmed H5 bird flu in a brown skua, a subantarctic species rarely seen on WA’s South Coast, followed by a second positive in a northern giant petrel from the same area. South Australia later confirmed its first case on June 24 after an unwell migratory seabird was found on the Fleurieu Peninsula, with a Southern Giant Petrel collected at Knights Beach, Port Elltio, on June 14. Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said there is no evidence of mass mortalities or poultry infection, noting the nearest commercial chicken farm was about 300 kilometers away. For livestock producers, an independent risk assessment by Austvet estimated negligible risk to beef cattle, sheep and goats, while response communications in Esperance moved quickly through livestock alert WhatsApp channels.