81893 (2024). Hon Jo Luxton to the Minister for Biosecurity

81893 (2024). Hon Jo Luxton to the Minister for Biosecurity: What specific steps is the Minister taking to ensure New Zealand is adequately prepared for a potential bird flu outbreak?

Hon Andrew Hoggard: I am advised the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is working across other government agencies, including the Department of Conservation and health agencies, industry, local government and community groups to ensure New Zealand is prepared and able to respond to any possible outbreak of HPAI H5N1. While we can’t stop wild birds with HPAI from coming to New Zealand, or spreading the disease, early detection and strong farm level biosecurity can help to limit the impact of the disease, should it get here. The readiness and response planning aims to: • reduce the impact on native species; • reduce the impact on the commercial poultry sector; • maintain supply of poultry meat and eggs to the domestic market and maintain access to overseas markets where possible; and • protect human health. Measures in place to ensure early detection of HPAI if it arrives in New Zealand include MPI’s exotic pest and disease hotline for reporting suspected cases (0800 809 966), monitoring and awareness with New Zealand's wildlife hospitals, poultry industry groups, veterinarians, and wildlife rehabilitation centres, and working with DOC on any suspected exotic diseases in wild bird populations, including native birds. Sampling kits have also been supplied to people working in the Antarctic region for use where there are bird deaths that raise concerns. MPI is also working closely with the poultry sector to improve industry readiness and response capability at the farm level and nationally. Representatives from MPI, the Poultry Industry Association of New Zealand, and the Egg Producers Federation visited the United Kingdom in August 2024 to learn from its experience with HPAI H5N1. Part of the awareness raising about HPAI has included a recent campaign targeting people on lifestyle blocks, city-dwellers with backyard poultry, bird fanciers, rare breed keepers and people with pet birds to know what to do to protect their birds from this disease.