Farm at the centre of bird flu outbreak expecting further testing results back

The owner of an Otago farm at the centre of a birdflu outbreak said further testing results for its farm and an unconnected second farm in Dunedin are due on Thursday.

The culling of 80,000 hens is into its second day at Mainland Poultry's Hillgrove Farm as biosecurity officials work to contain an outbreak of the H7N6 virus.

Mainland Poultry chief executive John McKay told Morning Report the farm was continuing extensive testing to understand the spread of the virus.

A second free-range farm, not connected with Mainland, was also in lockdown near Dunedin after some unexplained deaths of chickens.

Test results were expected on Thursday, McKay said, to confirm whether or not the virus had spread to the second farm.

McKay confirmed he had been in touch with the other farmer and had offered his support.

"I really feel for him - it's a challenging time for farmers."

Mainland Poultry had "strong records", McKay said and who and what came in and out of their farms was mapped.

"We're working closely with MPI to do that casing and tracing and making sure testing can be done in places of interest to understand the extent.

"Test results from the other farm will help us confirm what we are or aren't dealing with.

"As poultry farmers, even with the best biosecurity, these events can happen if you have birds outside."

Testing will continue for the next few weeks, as the incubation period for influenza is up to 21 days.

MPI would also be increasing its presence in Otago and had set up a regional control centre to manage the situation.

More than 100 MPI staff, including front-line biosecurity staff, veterinarians and food safety staff were contributing to the response.

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