After the bird flu outbreak at two Victorian duck farms, other countries like Japan, Vietnam, Singapore and Hong Kong have placed bans on all poultry products from Victoria and across Australia. South Africa is also now asking certification that an Australian poultry import has not come from within 20km of the quarantined sites.
According to the Australian Chicken Meat Federation executive director Andreas Dubs this response so far was an overreaction to the threat. “It's out of proportion to what I would consider the risk is… It's very [much] localized. It's very low risk,” he said. More than 20,000 ducks are being culled and the two farms, owned by the same company, are being sterilized to stop the virus from spreading.
About half of all Australian poultry exports went to Hong Kong, Dr Dubs said, but the entire export market was only 4 or 5 per cent of the total volume, so the financial impact of the new bans was relatively small. He said, “Hong Kong is of most concern. It certainly has some impact and some products can't leave. Some of the normal consignments to these places are now on hold.”
He further added that other animal-related products such as ice-cream, which contained eggs, could be affected. He said he was hopeful the bans would be lifted in the coming days. “It's not uncommon for countries to initially react by putting a ban on and then review it once they can fully absorb the details,” he said.
Last week Victorian officials stressed that the avian flu outbreak would pose no risk to the community. Dr Hugh Millar, the state's chief veterinary officer, said authorities acted quickly only as an extreme precaution to eliminate all chances that the virus could spread. “This is all about making sure that the virus doesn't one day in the future evolve and mutate into a more serious form,” Dr Millar told reporters on Friday. The source of the outbreak has not been confirmed but officials believe the virus could have been introduced from wild waterfowl known to harbor influenza viruses.
Victorian Deputy Premier Peter Ryan says Victoria's poultry quality control is one of the best. “We have a very, very strong place in these markets, both domestic and particularly international,” he told reporters. “Our quality control is recognized worldwide as being the best, certainly amongst the best. These issues do arise intermittently and I'm sure it will be accommodated sooner than later and we'll be back in the marketplace.”
Study shows potential for universal flu vaccine with broad antibody response