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Avian influenza is not a food safety concern, and it is safe to eat properly handled and cooked chicken meat, eggs and egg products. 

Eggs can be sold if you meet all biosecurity and food safety requirements. It’s important to understand that following avian influenza detections, or other emergency animal disease responses the rules for the sale of poultry products and your biosecurity responsibilities might change. 

The sale of eggs and poultry products may be restricted during an avian influenza outbreak within declared biosecurity zones. These zones are established under the Biosecurity Act 2015 to prevent, eliminate, minimise and manage of biosecurity risks. 

Stay up to date with any mandatory restrictions or latest information by visiting H5N1 or sign up to BioResponse NSW for up-to-date information, including emergency zone locations and restrictions. 

In NSW if you’re selling eggs you need to meet the requirements under the Food Regulation 2025, including being a notified or licenced producer.  If you have any questions about Food Safety requirements, including mandatory biosecurity practices, contact NSW Food Authority.   

H5 bird flu should be considered if a high proportion of a flock or group of birds becomes ill very quickly – progressing from normal to severe illness or death within 24-28 hours. 

The first sign of bird flu can be the sudden death of some poultry.  

Other signs include rapid drop in feed intake, drop in egg production, typical ‘sick bird’ signs – ruffled feathers, depression, closed eyes, diarrhoea, birds having trouble breathing, coughing or sneezing, swelling around the head, neck and eyes, discharge from the eyes (conjunctivitis), twisted necks or unusual posture. 

Contact the all-hours Emergency Animal Disease Hotline 1800 675 888 immediately if you suspect your poultry or local wild birds have avian influenza.  

Avian influenza, or bird flu, is a highly infectious disease that affects many bird species, including pet and farmed chickens. There are many strains of avian influenza, and many strains of the virus can be caried in wild birds without showing any signs of disease because it is considered low pathogenicity.  

The H5N1 strain is different because it is already a high pathogenicity strain that can cause mass deaths on poultry farms, but it can also cause deaths in wild birds and mammals. H5N1 strain hadn’t been detected in Australia before 2026 and is a significant risk to wild birds and domestic poultry. It can also cause illness in humans. 

Stay up to date about Avian Influenza detections and advice to help understand the risks to your birds. For more information visit: Bird Flu (DAFF), or H5N1 Avian Influenza and  Poultry and livestock farmers and bird flu. 

Your best defence against avian influenza is strict biosecurity.  

Consider these actions to protect your flock: 

• Enclose your birds: House your poultry in fully enclosed sheds, aviaries, or secure runs to prevent contact with wild birds or rodents. [1, 2] 

• Source water safely: Ensure your flock drinks clean, chlorinated domestic water rather than drawing from natural ponds or creeks.  

• Quarantine new birds: Isolate newly purchased or returning show birds from your main flock for at least 30 days to monitor for illness. If birds are isolated remember to feed and water them after attending to the existing birds. 

• Maintain sanitation: Clean and disinfect coops, feeders, and waterers frequently using household bleach or a designated farm disinfectant (like F10 or Virkon S).  

• Control access: Restrict visitors and do not allow pets or wild animals near the poultry enclosure. Always wash your hands with warm water and soap before and after handling birds or their eggs.  

• Monitor your flock. Report any signs of avian influenza, which include sudden unexplained deaths, lethargy, droopy appearance, ruffled feathers, or purple/bruised wattles, combs, and legs. Emergency Animal Disease Hotline 1800675888 

• Restrict wild bird access to your chicken and duck feed. Make sure feed is stored so it can’t be accessed by wild birds and/or rodents and when it is fed, make sure excess feed is not left to attract wild birds and rodents. 

• Control rodents. Consider baiting if there are a lot of rodents around the poultry house and range area. 

On 6th July 2026 NSW Chief Veterinary Officer recommended poultry producers in NSW house birds indoors, where possible, whilst maintaining animal welfare. The recommendation is for a limited period and will be reviewed in 2 weeks. This will enable surveillance for any further evidence of H5 bird flu in wild birds to allow a better understanding of the situation.  

The intention is for poultry owners to consider practical measures to limit contact between poultry and wild birds and their faeces. 

Depending on the poultry facilities and the number and type of poultry kept the options will vary. 

It might not be possible to keep your flock safely housed inside a fully enclosed poultry shed or coop that exclude wild birds. You might consider other practical measure to reduce contact with wild bird including: 

• Keep poultry feed and water in a way that prevents wild bird access 

• Clean up any feed spills quickly and store feed in a way that won’t attract wild birds 

• Bring range fences in closer to the poultry house to allow the Maremma to easily patrol the whole range area 

• Move mobile houses to areas away from water bodies and areas of highest wild bird activity 

• Install devices that deter wild birds from the range area or perching on the poultry shed 

• Consider temporary cover over the area where the birds are kept such as thick shade cloth or surrounding coops in finer mesh to prevent bird access. 

The key point is that on-farm biosecurity practices are crucial to protect the health of your flock. Further information on poultry biosecurity can be found at Poultry and livestock farmers and bird flu. and the NSW DPIRD webpage for H5N1 avian influenza.   

If a bird is sick or dead a veterinarian might take samples for disease diagnosis at the laboratory.  These samples can be a precaution to rule out avian influenza. This is referred to as exclusion testing. 

Any samples taken for avian influenza testing will be sent to DPIRD laboratory at the Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute (EMAI).  

If the sample initially tests positive at EMAI for avian influenza Group A, which includes H5, it is sent for further testing by CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP). ACDP confirms the stain of the H5 virus. It is at this stage that the presence of the H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (bird flu) can be confirmed. 

This means it can take several days from when avian influenza is suspected to when it is officially confirmed. Strict biosecurity must always be maintained as a precaution. 

It is also important to remember that there is a lot of testing being undertaken across the state, so it is possible that not all birds will be tested, as testing may be prioritised to certain species or areas. Reporting is essential to ensure that the government has as much information as possible to make these decisions. 

It’s important to remember if you see sick or dead birds or other animals, do not touch them. 

Avoid contact. Record what you see. Report it to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888 from anywhere in Australia. 

For more information, visit Bird flu (Avian influenza) – DAFF. 

Past outbreaks of avian influenza in Australia have been from strains that are normally carried in Australian wild birds such as ducks as a low pathogenicity strain. These strains do not cause any illness or disease in these birds, but when the virus gets into commercial birds, it replicates and changes form into a high pathogenicity bird flu which causes the mortality and the illness. The new strain that has been recently detected in Australia, the H5N1 2.3.4.4b strain is already a high pathogenicity strain, and it affects a much wider range of birds and mammals. Because the Australian wildlife is so unique we don’t know what it will look like. At this time, it has only been seen in vagrant migratory birds and not in any native species of birds to Australia, but it is important to recognise how the risk could change.