Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) chief veterinary officer Dr Mary van Andel said yesterday movement controls had been lifted from Mainland Poultry’s Hillgrove Farm, near Moeraki, after the H7N6 strain of high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) detected there in December was successfully eradicated.
Mainland Poultry chief executive John McKay said reaching the milestone was a "huge relief" and the company was excited to begin repopulating the farm after a long and comprehensive process to rid the site of bird flu.
The farm was shut down and about 160,000 birds were culled before a lengthy cleaning and disinfecting phase.
"Although we still have a bit of work to do before the farm is fully operational again, reaching this phase has given us a boost of optimism and confidence," Mr McKay said.
Biosecurity New Zealand placed strict movement controls on the egg farm after testing confirmed HPAI in chickens at the property that likely developed from interactions with local waterfowl and wild birds.
While the strain was not the H5N1 type circulating among wildlife around the world causing global concern, the government and industry took the find seriously.
Mr McKay said Mainland Poultry was hugely grateful for the support received from colleagues, fellow farmers, government officials including MPI, the food industry, trade customers and industry groups such as the Poultry Industry Association of New Zealand and the Egg Producers Federation.
"It’s been nothing short of amazing," he said.
"There was a high level of understanding and empathy for the situation we were in and a sense of ‘we are all in this together’ because what affects one of us has the potential to affect everyone.
"We are only as strong as our weakest link, so every single producer must remain vigilant and have robust plans in place to protect the national flock."
Dr van Andel said more than 5600 tests were carried out on samples from both poultry and wild birds, including from 36 flocks across five farms linked to Mainland’s Hillgrove property.
"HPAI was not found anywhere other than Hillgrove, giving confidence that the disease had been contained and stamped out," Dr van Andel said.
Chickens that were culled were humanely euthanised and disposed of in a secure landfill, along with eggs, litter and manure from the farm.
The processes followed, including the culling, cleanup and extensive surveillance made MPI confident that the virus had been eradicated.
MPI had worked with overseas government counterparts and industry partners in New Zealand to meet market requirements and had also proposed alternative assurances to some markets.
It was still working towards the reopening of trade to some markets.
"Good progress is being made to restore trade, with around $300million of trade in poultry products recovered to date."
Mr McKay said the impact of the incident on the company had been "profound" but was not expected to have a lasting effect.
"The outbreak has had a significant effect on animals, people and resources.
"There’s also been a financial impact, but our primary objective has been to do the right thing, limit the impact and protect our business and industry in the process.
"The egg supply was largely unaffected, but we will welcome a return to full production as soon as possible."
