Preventing and Controlling Avian Influenza in Australia: The Ongoing Battle for Poultry Biosecurity

Avian influenza (bird flu) remains one of Australia’s most serious animal-disease threats because it can arrive fast, spread faster, and force brutal control measures, particularly in the poultry industry. While Australia has strong border protections, avian influenza doesn’t rely on trade routes alone, wild birds and migratory pathways can introduce viruses into poultry systems, and once infection is present, human activity (vehicles, equipment, staff movement) can amplify spread. That’s why the challenge isn’t just keeping disease out, it’s maintaining day-to-day discipline across farms, transport and processing, even when there’s no outbreak on the doorstep.

Australia’s preparedness approach has shifted from “unlikely risk” to “persistent risk.” Government guidance explicitly warns that global high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI), including H5N1, has expanded dramatically overseas, and that Australia must keep investing in surveillance, response capability and national coordination to remain resilient.  The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry also provides ongoing national updates and preparedness resources, reinforcing that prevention relies on practical actions: separating poultry from wild birds, controlling access, and maintaining strict hygiene barriers. 

Science is a major pillar of this defence. CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) acts as Australia’s national reference laboratory for avian influenza, confirming diagnoses and supporting outbreak response through testing and advanced analysis, critical when decisions must be made quickly on movement controls and containment. 

Disinfection is another frontline tool — but only if it’s regulated, effective, and deployable at scale. Siqura VetX has been issued APVMA Permit Number PER 89609, allowing minor use of a registered agvet chemical product as a disinfectant for treatment of equipment, fabric and surfaces in the event of an outbreak of avian influenza, equine influenza or swine influenza. 

The bottom line: biosecurity isn’t a policy document, it’s an everyday operating system. When it slips, bird flu finds the gap. Want to trial or find out more information on VetX or any other product in the Siqura disinfectant range? Reach out via phone or the contact me page.