Bird Flu Trade Ban
Papua New Guinea bans Australian poultry and eggs after H5N1 bird flu detection.
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Key Points
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PNG has imposed an indefinite ban on all Australian poultry imports (including chicken meat, eggs and egg products) as it assesses the H5N1 risk from Western Australia, with export health certification paused for post-ban shipments.
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Inghams, among Australia’s largest poultry processors, has locked down its Western Australian sites in response to the detections, signaling a sector-wide precautionary stance even as authorities report no poultry infections yet.
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Export data underscores PNG’s leverage in the market: Australian chicken meat exports reached about $133 million in 2023-24, with nearly half of that going to PNG.
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Authorities say there is no current evidence of HPAI spreading to the poultry sector and no mass bird mortalities have been observed, indicating the risk is concentrated in wild populations for the moment.
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As part of a broader regional response, Australia has intensified wildlife surveillance with drone surveys and rapid testing, including monitoring vulnerable coastlines and sea‑lion breeding sites in South Australia.
Papua New Guinea has banned all Australian poultry and egg imports after H5N1 bird flu was detected in wild seabirds off Western Australia — threatening a trade relationship worth roughly $60 million a year to Australian exporters, according to Reuters. The indefinite suspension, imposed on June 22 by PNG's National Agriculture Quarantine and Inspection Authority, covers chicken meat, eggs, and all egg products.
Australia insists its commercial poultry is safe. Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said there is "no evidence the virus has reached the country's poultry or ag systems." But PNG moved quickly anyway, and some consignments already at sea may be turned back at port, according to Reuters.
How Two Sick Seabirds Triggered a Trade Crisis
On June 14, a sick brown skua — a migratory seabird — was found at Cape Le Grand National Park near Esperance, Western Australia. By June 20, the CSIRO confirmed it carried the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain. That made it Australia's first mainland detection of the virus, according to The Epoch Times.
A second bird, a giant petrel found nearby, returned a preliminary positive result on June 21. Then on June 23, SA Premier Peter Malinauskas confirmed a third case — a southern giant petrel found at Knights Beach in South Australia, nearly 2,000 km from the first site, according to Reuters. That rapid geographic spread alarmed PNG officials enough to act within 24 hours.
PNG Pulls the Plug on $60 Million in Annual Imports
PNG is Australia's single largest overseas buyer of chicken meat. Australian poultry exports totaled a record $133 million in 2023-24, with nearly $60 million — about 45% — going to PNG alone, according to The Epoch Times. A prolonged ban would hit Australian exporters hard and could drive up chicken prices inside PNG, where imported poultry is a primary protein source.
PNG's NAQIA framed the move as a food security measure, not a punishment. Officials treat even wild bird detections as a "proximity alert" that justifies halting trade until a full risk assessment is done. Australia's agriculture department says it is "actively engaging" with PNG to restore access, and Federal Minister Julie Collins confirmed direct talks with PNG officials on June 24, according to The Epoch Times.
Inghams Locks Down WA Sites as Industry Braces
Even before any government order, Australia's largest poultry producer acted. Inghams Group announced a complete lockdown of all its Western Australian operations on June 22 — covering breeder farms and processing plants — according to The Epoch Times. No commercial flocks have tested positive. Inghams chose the economic cost of a lockdown over the far greater risk of a facility infection.
Australia maintains its official "HPAI-free" status for commercial poultry under World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) standards. WOAH rules say wild bird detections alone do not change that status. The Australian Chicken Meat Federation argues the PNG ban contradicts those agreed-upon protocols — but PNG is not bound to accept that framing when its own food supply is at stake.
Drones, Rapid Tests, and a Race to Stop Further Spread
Australian authorities escalated surveillance after the South Australia detection. Drone surveys and ground teams were deployed to monitor vulnerable coastlines and sea-lion breeding sites in SA. Eleven more birds in WA were sent for testing, according to Reuters. Dr. Beth Cookson, Australia's Chief Veterinary Officer, said the focus is "really to understand whether these two single individual birds have been able to spread it into other populations."
Scientists note the current strain — clade 2.3.4.4b — has caused mass wildlife deaths globally. In 2025, it killed an estimated 13,000 seal pups on sub-Antarctic islands southwest of Australia, according to The Epoch Times. Researchers say wild bird detections in Australia were expected given that global spread. Surveillance, not panic, is the right tool — but PNG's ban shows the economic stakes of even a single positive test.
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