A second egg farm in New Zealand’s Otago region is under investigation for a potential outbreak of avian influenza, just days after the country confirmed its first case of the disease, Bloomberg reports.
Biosecurity New Zealand has placed a precautionary restriction order on a small free-range farm near Dunedin, preventing the movement of any materials on or off the property.
The farm, housing about 6,000 birds, has experienced a number of unexplained deaths, prompting the investigation, according to Deputy Director-General Stuart Anderson. Testing is underway to determine if avian influenza is the cause.
This development follows the confirmation of a highly pathogenic H7N6 avian influenza subtype at a separate egg farm in Otago earlier this week. This triggered a nationwide halt to all poultry exports. The H7N6 strain differs from the globally prevalent H5N1 strain.
