Coles limits egg purchases as bird flu spreads to fifth Victorian farm

Coles supermarkets are limiting the amount of eggs customers can buy after bird flu was found on a fifth Victorian poultry farm.

The highly pathogenic H7N3 strain of avian influenza has been confirmed in four affected premises near Meredith, between Ballarat and Geelong, while the H7N9 strain has been detected near Terang in the state's southwest.

About 500,000 chickens have been euthanized, quarantine zones have been set up and the movement of chickens and equipment has been restricted.

Victoria is Australia's third-largest egg-producing state, and the Victorian Farmers Federation said about one in 16 egg-laying hens had been culled, reducing the state's egg supply by about 450,000 eggs per day.

Last week's egg producers Warns of possible shortages on supermarket shelves.

Coles announced over the weekend that it would temporarily limit customer purchases of egg cartons to two in stores across the US, except in Western Australia.

“We are working closely with all our suppliers to ensure eggs are available to our customers,” a spokesman said.

“We are providing support to industry in response to cases of avian influenza in Victoria.”

Woolworths and Aldi are not restricting the sale of eggs.

Eggs Australia is a member-owned, not-for-profit company providing marketing, research and development services to Australian producers.

Managing director Rowan McMonnies said the outbreak was causing some disruptions to supply but was unlikely to cause an all-out crisis.

“Some of their farms supply Coles so they felt it was necessary or responsible to go ahead and say they were going to restrict supply,” Mr McMonnies told ABC's Country Hour.

“You might have to shop differently than you normally would, but you'll find eggs.”

McMonnies said the market is looking for new sources of supply to fill the gap left by the five producers.

“Winter is also a difficult time as free-ranging birds tend to lay fewer eggs due to less daylight, so the timing isn’t perfect.

He said some of the egg exports could be diverted to the domestic market.

Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said he was confident in the work Victorian authorities were doing to contain the spread of the virus.

“We now have avian influenza outbreaks on five poultry farms across Victoria and frankly the damage would be much worse if the Victorian Government, with the support of the Federal Government, had not acted so quickly,” Mr Watt said.

He said the purchasing limits introduced by Kohl's were a precautionary measure and urged shoppers to be respectful of store staff.

Federal Health Minister Mark Butler told ABC News Breakfast he receives regular updates from the chief medical officer on bird flu in Australia.

“We're taking this seriously because we know Murray Watt will be watching this closely and Australian viewers will want to know if there will be enough eggs available to continue having a traditional Australian breakfast,” Butler said.

“This is a problem of global importance.”

Quarantine rules to prevent spread of bird flu in Australia

Avian influenza is a highly contagious viral infection that affects birds.

The Victorian Department of Agriculture said if the disease becomes severe it can cause severe illness and sudden death in poultry.

Exclusion zones have been declared around affected properties in Meredith, Lethbridge and Terran.

A permit is currently required to move birds, eggs, poultry products, feed or equipment on or off site in these areas.

The Victorian Agriculture Federation is urging poultry farmers, home chicken and bird owners to report any unexplained deaths.

“I can't stress enough the importance of reporting any symptoms in your birds, even if they are backyard chickens, to the emergency animal disease hotline on 1800 675 888,” said vice president and egg farmer Daniel Cucinotta.

“My advice when buying eggs is to shop around your local grocery store, market or small independent shops.”

The strains detected on the five farms are distinct from the H5N1 virus outbreak that is of global concern.

The risk of humans contracting avian flu is low

Cases of avian flu were reported in Victoria earlier this year.A child who returned to Australia from overseas fell ill and tested positive for H5N1.

The case is not linked to an outbreak on a poultry farm and the Victorian Department of Health has reassured the community that the spread of avian flu to humans in Australia is unlikely.

Officials insist the chicken and eggs are safe to eat and that there is no risk to the public.

“We're making sure that governments in particular understand all the possible impacts on human health,” Butler said.

“At this point, we feel very confident about it.”

He said instances of bird flu jumping from poultry to humans are very rare.

“This is a different type of bird flu or a different strain of bird flu that is occurring in other countries, and that's what's led to the spread.”