Butchers report chicken meat sales drop amid bird flu anxiety

Butchers report chicken meat sales drop amid public anxiety about bird flu A Perth butcher says he has seen a decline in his otherwise stable chicken sales in recent weeks which he attributed to unfounded public anxiety about the threat of bird flu. As parts of Australia grapple with H5 bird flu with the wash-up of dozens of infected migratory seabirds, Tom Randolph said his Mt Hawthorn business had seen chicken sales plunge. "Chicken has been one of the most reliable and stable product lines that we have," he said. "Over the last five or six weeks, we've seen the sales drop by about 20 to 25 per cent." Another two butchers in Perth told the ABC they were experiencing a similar trend, including John Nazary who runs the Wattle Grove Butcher. Mr Nazary said his chicken sales have plummeted by about 60 per cent in the past three weeks. "In the last two weeks I threw a couple of boxes [out], maybe two, four boxes," he said. "I used to order every day, every second day, but the last two, three weeks, no." Is bird flu a threat to WA? Western Australia reported the first confirmed Australian cases of the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain detected in a migratory seabird in June. On Sunday, WA Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti, said it had been over a month since bird flu was detected in the state. "We've been working closely with wildlife rescue organisations, supporting them to be at the front line helping Western Australians detect and report," Ms Saffioti said. Food Standards Australia New Zealand stated in July it was safe to continue eating cooked chicken and eggs, adding there is "no evidence of bird flu infection in Australian poultry or the wider agriculture industry". "Avian influenza is not known to transmit to humans via food, and it is safe to eat properly cooked chicken meat and eggs," the statement said. "Proper storage and preparation remain important in reducing risks, and good personal hygiene must be practised when handling raw poultry and eggs." Surging interest in backyard chickens WA Poultry Association president Reece Jerrett said the livestock sector was experiencing the opposite to butchers, with breeders reporting a surge in interest from people wanting to keep chickens in their backyards. "We're assuming that's because people are expecting a bit of an impending egg shortage, if H5N1 gets into the commercial sector," Mr Jerrett said. He said similar spikes had been witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic and more recently, when NSW, VIC and the ACT were hit by the H7 variant of bird flu in 2024 — 2025. On farms across Australia, the poultry industry had to cull about 2 million chickens in a bid to eliminate the H7 variant. Almost a year after the H7 variant was eradicated, the industry is only just recovering from Australia's largest outbreak, which led to egg shortages for almost a year. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry have warned the public of the high mortality rate in poultry and Mr Jerrett said he was concerned more people were purchasing chickens for their backyard. "Chickens are livestock; we should be practising livestock biosecurity," he said. "There is that really important factor of running poultry is that you need a good set up to look after those birds adequately. "They're not just a set and forget pet." Loading...Mr Jerrett explained chickens required a lot of care including ensuring they have clean water, good food, constant clean bedding and a draught-free home that is fully enclosed from wildlife. What next? In a statement, the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions said it continued to monitor WA's situation through a vaccination trial for vulnerable species. On Sunday, authorities recorded 309 positive events of H5 bird flu in wildlife. It came as Australia's first case of bird flu in a mammal was confirmed following testing of a long-nosed fur seal found in South Australia. The seal was found at Beachport, 300 kilometres south of Adelaide. Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said the detection was concerning but not unexpected, particularly in marine mammals. [Image text:] 16 Meains CuA-Su DES CYICKEN CY $16