Avian influenza-related activity at Rutherglen
Current situation
Last updated 31 March 2025
H7 avian influenza (bird flu) was confirmed at 4 poultry properties in northern Victoria near Euroa in February 2025.
Diagnostic tests done at CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness in Geelong confirmed a high pathogenicity strain of H7N8. This is a new outbreak and not related to the 2024 outbreaks in Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, which were successfully eradicated.
This is not the H5N1 bird flu strain that is impacting other parts of the world.
A restricted area with a radius of about 5 km has been in place around the infected properties since February. This is part of a larger control area where controls have been placed on movements that could spread the virus.
Specific rules apply in the control and restricted areas.
There have been no new disease detections since 24 February 2025 and good progress has been made on the cleaning and decontamination of affected properties.
As a result of progress made in the response, the control area has been reduced in size to about 40 kilometres from east to west and 30 kilometres from north to south.
Townships still impacted by restrictions include Euroa and Longwood. Strathbogie, Violet Town, Ruffy and Avenel have been removed from the control area from 31 March 2025.
Mandatory movement controls on birds, bird products (including eggs) and poultry equipment, as well as restrictions placed on game bird hunting and hunters. are no longer in place for areas outside the redrawn control area.
The housing requirement for premises with 50 or more birds in the restricted area is now also lifted. The voluntary housing of birds is still encouraged.
Any suspicion of an emergency animal disease (EAD) should be immediately reported to the 24-hour EAD Hotline on 1800 675 888 or to your local vet.
Agriculture Victoria is continuing to work with impacted property owners.
Illness in humans who have direct contact with animals infected with high pathogenicity avian influenza viruses has been reported overseas. However, the risk to the public is low. Find out more about avian influenza in humans from the BetterHealth Channel.
Game bird hunting
Recreational game bird hunting remains banned in the restricted and redrawn control areas near Euroa, to help prevent the spread of avian influenza.
An avian influenza game bird hunting permit can be obtained from Agriculture Victoria and is required if you want to:
- move game bird carcasses or parts from outside areas to control or restricted areas
- move equipment associated with game bird hunting from control or restricted areas to outside areas, if the equipment has come into contact with poultry or birds.
Permits are issued for 4 weeks and can be reapplied for after they expire.
Exemptions are in place that allow vehicles transporting game bird carcasses or hunting equipment to travel along the Hume Freeway. You do not need a permit so long as you don’t leave the Hume Freeway and don’t stop in the restricted or control areas.
Agriculture Victoria’s Rutherglen site
Activity at Agriculture Victoria’s Rutherglen site is part of the ongoing response to the bird flu outbreak.
The infected birds at the impacted properties near Euroa have been depopulated and are now safely disposed of in deep burial pits in accordance with Environment Protection Authority (EPA) authorisation. Further waste material from the poultry properties, including litter and feed, is now being transported to the Agriculture Victoria Rutherglen site and managed under stringent biosecurity controls.
In implementing the current bird flu response, Agriculture Victoria has assessed a range of environmental, human safety and disease prevention practices to ensure the safe disposal of biosecurity waste. The approach that is being undertaken is aligned with national biosecurity management protocols and extensive and specialist expertise developed over many years of biosecurity emergency response.
Site suitability for disposal
While the preference is to dispose of biosecurity waste on infected sites, this could not be undertaken at the infected Euroa poultry properties due to environmental considerations, such as shallow groundwater, and limited space at the impacted farms.
Following extensive consultation with the EPA and an external waste management consultant, the Agriculture Victoria Rutherglen site has been identified as a suitable site for the safe disposal of biosecurity waste.
‘Biosecurity waste’ is the organic material being removed from the Euroa farms as a part of the bird flu response. This waste includes the humanely destroyed chickens, litter (i.e. poultry manure and nesting material from chicken sheds), eggs and chicken feed.
Managing this biosecurity waste quickly and safely is critical to stopping the virus spreading in poultry.
The unloading of biosecurity waste at the Rutherglen site poses very minimal risk and is being undertaken in accordance with nationally agreed protocols for the disposal of these materials and in accordance with authorisation from the EPA.
Increased truck movements
Strict practices to reduce biosecurity risk, such as wind monitoring, vehicle and equipment wash down, and watering down of dry matter, are in place at the Rutherglen site. Security and traffic management are in place to prevent unauthorised access and to ensure safety given increased traffic movements in the area.
Agriculture Victoria currently expects that the transportation of biosecurity waste to the Rutherglen site will be completed by mid-April 2025.
Litter from the Euroa farms will be composted at the Rutherglen site. Compost is the result of natural decomposition which reduces the amount of waste going to landfill and produces a safe, organic by-product.
In line with EPA authorisation, Agriculture Victoria will monitor the Rutherglen site including undertaking soil and water testing.
During a biosecurity emergency response, Agriculture Victoria also undertakes extensive testing of wild birds and poultry to monitor for any spread of the virus. The current strain of bird flu has not been detected outside of the infected poultry farms near Euroa.
In Australia there is a low risk of people becoming infected with avian influenza viruses.
Inquiries and information
All inquiries from the community should be directed to Agriculture Victoria.
For more information visit our avian influenza page or call 136 186.
Any suspicion of an emergency animal disease (EAD) should be immediately reported to the 24-hour EAD Hotline on 1800 675 888 or to your local vet.