SYDNEY, June 24 (Reuters) – Australian authorities ramped up surveillance and testing of wildlife and livestock on Wednesday after a second state reported a case of the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu.
South Australia state Premier Peter Malinauskas said a migratory bird had tested positive for the virus, days after the country’s first two confirmed cases were reported near Esperance in Western Australia .
Australia’s agricultural minister, Julie Collins, said there was currently no threat to humans.
“Chicken meat and eggs, as prepared normally, are perfectly safe to eat,” she said.
Ground-based surveillance and drone surveys are being carried out at sea lion breeding sites along South Australia’s west and far west coasts, while testing frequency has been increased in high-risk areas.
Western Australia on Wednesday said it expected to confirm a third case of the virus after 11 samples were sent for testing in the state, following dozens of reports of sick or dead birds.
The confirmed cases prompted neighbouring Papua New Guinea to briefly ban poultry meat and product imports from Australia, though Collins said the restrictions had now been lifted with some caveats.
While Australian poultry meat is mainly grown for local consumption, Papua New Guinea is Australia’s largest export market, buying A$44 million ($30.38 million) worth of goods in 2023.
Collins said her department had received advice from PNG that the suspension had been lifted with some exceptions, with the two countries continuing to work together on the issue.
Until now, Australia had been the only continent without a confirmed mainland case, though the virus was detected in late 2025 on the sub-Antarctic territory of Heard Island.
Human infections remain rare, but the global spread of avian influenza has devastated flocks and disrupted the supply and pricing of poultry meat and eggs in many countries. In its efforts to tackle bird flu, Australia has tightened farm biosecurity, increased testing of shore birds, vaccinated vulnerable species and conducted response simulations.
($1 = 1.4482 Australian dollars)
(Reporting by Renju Jose and Christine Chen in Sydney; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
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