The Government is stepping up support for New Zealand’s poultry industry as farmers prepare for the growing threat posed by H5N1 bird flu.
A new grant has been launched to help poultry operators strengthen their biosecurity and prepare their farms for the long-term management of highly pathogenic avian influenza.
The move comes after H5N1 was detected in New Zealand for the first time in July, when the globally circulating strain was confirmed in a brown skua found at Petone Beach in Wellington. There was no evidence at the time of transmission into commercial poultry.
The arrival of H5N1 has changed the country’s approach from preparing for whether the virus will arrive to preparing for the possibility it becomes established among wild birds.
Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard has already announced new regulations requiring poultry operations with more than 100 birds to develop, register and implement farm biosecurity plans covering avian disease.
Those plans will need to address how farms prevent infection and what happens if disease is detected, including arrangements for humane culling, disposal, cleaning and disinfection. Operators will also face record-keeping and auditing requirements.
The Government expects the regulations to come into force by the end of 2026.
The poultry sector is particularly important to New Zealand’s food supply and economy.
The industry generates an estimated $2.2 billion domestically each year and around $200 million in export revenue.
That makes preventing major outbreaks important not only for farmers but also for consumers, food security and trade.
The Government and poultry industry already have a formal agreement setting out how they will jointly prepare for and respond to serious exotic poultry diseases.
Under that arrangement, the industry contributes 45 percent of general poultry disease readiness and response costs. For an H5N1 response, the industry contribution is 40 percent, with the Government meeting the remaining share of agreed response costs.
The potential financial consequences are substantial.
An earlier avian influenza outbreak at a commercial egg farm in Otago cost an estimated $25 million, despite being contained to a single property. That outbreak involved a different strain from the H5N1 virus now detected in New Zealand.
The new support comes as farmers face the prospect of investing more heavily in farm infrastructure and disease prevention while maintaining the supply of chicken and eggs to New Zealand households.
The challenge is particularly significant for smaller poultry operations, which may have fewer resources available to make rapid biosecurity improvements.
For the Government, the objective is to strengthen those defences before H5N1 becomes widespread among wild birds and creates a constant infection risk for domestic poultry.
With bird flu now inside New Zealand’s borders, biosecurity is no longer simply about keeping the disease out.
The focus is increasingly on ensuring farmers, food producers and communities are prepared to live with the risk while protecting flocks, livelihoods and one of the country’s most important sources of affordable protein.
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