Avian Flu: 240K Birds Culled and Biosecurity ‘Emergency’ Plan Activated in NSW

Nearly a quarter of a million birds will be killed after avian influenza was detected at a farm in the Hawkesbury district of New South Wales (NSW). The NSW government activated an “emergency biosecurity incident plan” in a bid to contain the virus after bird flu was detected at the poultry egg farm. Testing by the CSIRO National Research Laboratory confirmed the pathogenic H7N8 strain of avian influenza at the farm. Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said the government has locked down the egg farm, issued a “control order” to depopulate the farm, and spoken with surrounding farms. “This is a highly contagious and deadly virus and that’s why the NSW government has acted swiftly and decisively in response to this detection. 8,000 birds died from the flu over the last 48 hours,” she said on June 20....