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Negative test results for a second farm suspected of containing bird flu are encouraging but the country is not out of the woods yet, an Otago University virologist says.
An outbreak of the H7N6 virus in two sheds of a farm in Hillgrove, Otago last week has led to the cull of nearly 80,000 hens.
On Friday morning, Biosecurity New Zealand said test results from a small free range poultry farm near Dunedin had not detected the bird flu strain at the centre of the outbreak in the Hillgrove farm.
The farm had reported bird deaths earlier in the week but Biosecurity NZ said they now believed the problems were caused by an existing New Zealand disease among the birds
Long incubation period means test and monitoring to continue
Professor Jemma Geoghegan said the news was encouraging but monitoring and testing would have to continue for some time yet.
Geoghegan said it could take up to three weeks for birds exposed to the virus to develop symptoms.
"There is quite a long time for the virus to incubate. Which means that we have to be really certain that the virus is contained. Hopefully those tests do continue to come in negative and we can be reassured that this virus is just contained to that one farm," she said.
"However, time will tell whether or not that's the case or not."
Professor Jemma Geoghegan. Photo: Supplied
The Dunedin farm had a population of about 6000 birds and was not one of the other five farms reported as having links to the original outbreak.
Geoghegan said because there was no clear link between the farms, a positive test would have been a major concern.
"That would indicate that there is more widespread transmission of this virus than we previously understood. So that would have been really concerning, however, that it's test negative is really reassuring at this stage."
Geoghegan said more targeted surveillance of the points where farmed birds came into contact with wild populations was needed to monitor the potential spread to the poultry industry.
Exports of some chicken products to resume
This morning at a select committee for Parliament's scrutiny week, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay said New Zealand had reached agreement with Australia to restart the export of some chicken products.
McClay told RNZ the final details were still being ironed out, but a deal had been struck.
"Certain products, particularly chicken meat that has been cooked, that trade will be able to resume, and any chicken product that was frozen and produced before this outbreak, that also could go back to that market," McClay said.
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
New Zealand poultry accounted for $200 million worth of exports, and these were put on hold earlier in the week in response to the outbreak.
McClay said trade officials had been working on resuming trade as quickly as possible
He was encouraging the public - particularly in rural areas - to keep a close eye on the health of poultry.
People seeing numbers of deaths in bird populations were advised to to get in touch with the Ministry of Primary Industries as quickly as possible.
Consuming cooked eggs and poultry products was still considered safe but people - especially to those with low or compromised immune systems - were advised to avoid eating raw eggs which could contain pathogens harmful to humans.
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