The Ashburton District Council is ready to support MPI’s response if bird flu spreads to Mid Canterbury, group manager compliance and regulation Ian Hyde says.

Hyde said in a statement that preparations included readying information signage for parks or reserves that could be affected by H5 bird flu; training staff who worked in the district’s open spaces; and acquiring protective gear for those who may need to interact with dead birds.

He said the news of bird flu arrival last week on New Zealand shores was unwelcome, but not unexpected.

“Over the last couple of years, we’ve been working closely with other councils in Canterbury and MPI to prepare for the arrival of H5 bird flu.

Biosecurity New Zealand said since the first two detections - one in a brown skua in Wellington, and another in a swamp harrier hawk in Wairarapa - there had been no evidence of mass mortality in wildlife due to H5 bird flu, and no detection in poultry.

Ministry for Primary Industries’ chief veterinary officer Dr Mary van Andel said, via a statement, that MPI experts were triaging public notifications based on internationally recognised processes for assessing H5 bird flu risk - so multiple unwell or dead birds, certain species (sea birds, waterfowl, birds that congregate in large groups), and certain locations will take priority.

‘‘We can receive multiple notifications about the same bird,” she said.

‘‘Our testing is focused on tracking the movement of bird flu so we can help protect our poultry industry and support DOC’s work with native wildlife.

“Building a precise picture through our extensive continuing surveillance and testing will allow egg and chicken producers in different parts of the country to make good decisions about what biosecurity measures are best for them to protect their flocks and keep operating.”

The disease can cause high numbers of deaths in poultry, waterfowl (ducks, geese and swans), shorebirds (godwits, stilts and plovers), and seabirds (gulls and terns).

The risk to human health is considered low and it’s rare for humans to be infected with H5 bird flu. The disease is generally only found in people who have had a lot of close contact with infected birds or animals.

Hyde said the district was home to several commercial poultry farms, and MPI had been working closely with their industry bodies to provide advice and support.

“Our agriculture sector has experience with dealing with biosecurity threats and know how to put good on-farm practices in place to minimise the risk.

“Council’s role will be to share information, provide community support and back the national response as we did through the MBovis eradication programme.”

MPI has said bird flu is not a food safety concern and there’s no risk to people from eating properly cooked eggs and meat.

There are also concerns for how bird flu could affect some our populations of native birds, particularly those that nested together in large groups such as the endangered black-billed gull.

Hyde said that people should stay alert for signs of H5 bird flu and follow the advice from MPI if they come across groups of sick or dead birds.

“Don’t touch them, but record their location, take photos or video if possible and report them to MPI’s hotline on 0800 80 99 66.”

Risk factors

H5 bird flu is a low health risk to the public and eggs and poultry remain safe to eat.

It can only be diagnosed through laboratory testing.

Van Andel said since the cases were identified there had been a strong response from the public about unwell or dead birds they had seen, which were being assessed.

“All reports play an important role in our surveillance for bird flu in New Zealand.

“Biosecurity New Zealand has an experienced team of incursion investigators and MPI staff who consider every notification and triage any suspected cases of avian influenza.

“Cases are prioritised based on risk. H5 bird flu can only be diagnosed through laboratory testing.”

Investigators assess the type of species involved, the number of sick or dead birds, their location, and the likelihood of disease risk.

“If we require further information from people, we will contact them. Birds can be unwell for a variety of reasons, including botulism, storm wreck, and other diseases endemic to New Zealand. In some cases, symptoms can be similar to bird flu.”

More information about H5 bird flu is available at mpi.govt.nz/hpai.

What people can do

If you see three or more sick or dead wild birds in a group, report it immediately to the exotic pest and disease hotline on 0800 80 99 66 from anywhere in New Zealand or online at report.mpi.govt.nz

If you report online, select the ‘dead or dying wild birds’ option from the dropdown list and then the type of bird you have found.

Don’t handle or move the birds. Go to www.mpi.govt.nz/bird-flu to find out more.

Provide as much detail as you can, including:

- common name or species of sick or dead bird if known.

- how many are sick or freshly dead, and the total number of birds present.

- a GPS reading or other precise location information.

- photographs and videos of sick and dead birds.