78965 (2024). Hon Jo Luxton to the Minister for Biosecurity

78965 (2024). Hon Jo Luxton to the Minister for Biosecurity: What international best practices are being followed to manage and contain the H7N6 outbreak?

Hon Andrew Hoggard: The World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) provides evidence-based standards for animal disease management and trade. The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is the recognized ‘Veterinary Authority’ responsible for reporting to WOAH and trading partners regarding any New Zealand response to an animal disease outbreak. The key WOAH documents are the Terrestrial Code: Chapter 10.4 Infection with High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza Viruses and the Terrestrial Manual: Chapter 3.3.4 Avian Influenza (Including infection with High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza Viruses). New Zealand is also a member of the Quadrilateral Alliance for animal health where disease management information is shared and development of ‘best practice’ or ‘recommended practice’ for animal disease responses occurs. This group consists of representatives from the Veterinary Authorities of the United Kingdom, United States of America, Ireland, Canada, Australia. Various specialist groups are convened to share experiences, resources and scientific findings. The specialist ‘3D’ group (Depopulation, Disposal, and Decontamination group) also includes South Korea. The activities that are being undertaken as part of the H7N6 outbreak are aligned with international guidelines and informed by experiences of international colleagues.