Cancellation of poultry exhibitions in South Australia due to the spread of the H5 virus

In the state of South Australia, 119 cases of the H5 virus have been recorded. According to the government, this figure accounts for more than three-quarters of the national total (155 cases). Statistics do not include data on the mass mortality of poultry in the Baudin Rocks area near Robe. As Georgie Cornish, Executive Director of Biosecurity at the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA), noted, the virus is circulating among wild seabirds; however, no cases of infection have yet been detected in domestic poultry.

Amidst the rise in incidence, which has increased from 5 to nearly 120 cases over the past 18 days, the Royal Adelaide Show has decided to exclude birds from the upcoming event program. According to the organizing committee representatives, birds make up a negligible part of the exposition, which totals over 26,000 entries. The decision to cancel was communicated to exhibitors promptly.

Similar measures have been adopted at other venues. Organizers of the Port Lincoln Show, scheduled for Sunday, have also decided to decline the participation of chickens, ducks, and geese as a preventive measure. A case of a bird death with a confirmed H5 virus was previously detected in this area. Port Lincoln Show organizing committee representative Simon Dewitt emphasized that the risk to domestic poultry is assessed as extremely dangerous.

Poultry farm owners, such as Tojo Mullan from Yeelanna, support these restrictions, considering them reasonable due to the threat of livestock losses. At the same time, for some species, such as pigeons, participation in exhibitions remains permitted, provided that quarantine measures are observed after the event concludes. PIRSA continues to work with exhibition organizers across the state to manage risks associated with biosecurity.