WorldPoultry: Bird flu strikes Australian layer farm

An outbreak of bird flu on a layer farm in the Australian state of New South Wales has been confirmed as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, the OIE reports.

The property houses over 400,000 birds and it is feared that the majority will have to culled.

New South Wales Department of Primary Industries chief veterinary scientist, Ian Roth has told local media that the chickens most likely contracted the infection from wild ducks on or near the property. Work is now being done to determine whether the virus has spread and a 10km quarantine radius has been set up around the farm.

"We have to do tracing to see if it's spread and we're in the process. We've set up what we call state control centre here, and we'll set up a local control centre," Roth confirmed. The influenza broke out in the free range flock and has spread to the cage egg chickens.