Amid the global spread of bird flu strain — now reported on every continent except Te Ao o Kiwa/Oceania — Aotearoa New Zealand’s Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) is considering overhauling about 130 biosecurity roles, some of which face disestablishment.
A ministry spokesperson couldn’t clarify exactly how many roles would be facing disestablishment but its chief veterinary officer insisted the reductions would not be made to frontline services, such as its port, airport and mail centre teams.
The proposed cuts and changes are among thousands of jobs being lost in the public sector as the coalition government races to meet its Budget 2024/25 deadline of May 30.
In a statement to Te Ao Māori News this afternoon, MPI’s chief veterinary officer Dr Mary van Andel said the proposed changes would not impact the ministry’s ability to respond to high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI), an illness which has never been reported in Aotearoa but was earlier this year detected in dead birds in Antarctica.
“At present, we consider the risk of HPAI arriving here on managed pathways is low but we continuously reassess the threat of HPAI arriving here and monitor international developments,” van Andel said.
Despite a Texas dairy worker being infected in early April, van Andel said if the disease did arrive on our shores, it was unlikely to be via humans.
‘HPAI is currently spreading internationally in wild migratory birds, which is the most plausible path by which it would reach New Zealand.”
Aotearoa is the destination for thousands of migratory birds each year, including the South Polar skua, one of three species with suspected cases registered in Antarctica.
Earlier this year, two dead skua in Antarctica were confirmed to be carrying the bird flu strain.
Spreading around the world
The US Centre for Disease Control (CDC) has reported A/H5N1, a form of influenza A which affects birds, is causing outbreaks in poultry and dairy cow herds across more than a quarter of states.
Speaking about these cases, MPI’s chief veterinary officer said, “Wild birds are believed to be the source of the infection in the US, although cow-to-cow transmission has not been ruled out.”
In Texas, one dairy worker was confirmed to be infected in early April, though human-to-human transmission is yet to be reported.
Many countries have developed, approved and stockpiled H5N1 vaccines in case of widespread transmission among humans, including Australia.
Back here, MPI is encouraging farmers to maintain good biosecurity practices and to report any sick or dead wild birds on their farms to Biosecurity New Zealand’s Exotic Pest and Disease Hotline on 0800 80 99 66.
“The cases in the US are a good reminder for farmers to be proactive with on farm biosecurity measures. Early reporting of any suspicions of HPAI is also important,” van Andel said.
She said MPI was receiving regular updates from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the CDC, and her counterpart, the US chief veterinary officer.
Concern in New Zealand
Speaking to Te Ao Māori News this afternoon, Te Niwha director Te Pora Thompson says the spread of A/H5N1 should be cause for concern in Aotearoa New Zealand.
“We’re working at the moment with MPI (Ministry of Primary Industries), with DoC (Department of Conservation), Professor Gemma Higgins and Dave Winter of ESR (the Institute of Environmental Science and Research) running a project looking at the migration. We’re looking at four inflight path zones within Aotearoa because we know where they come to.”
“It is the sampling of the birds coming in, having a look at the environmental DNA, having a look at metagenomics. Genomics is a massive part of comprehending the impacts because we know from Covid-19, right.”
“We got to look at whakapapa, if you will, about how things are going to potentially end up, so enough sampling needs to happen to be able to mark the trajectory that will take in avian influenza, and then be able to view the dynamics and put together a response accordingly.”