17 Dec 2024
MPI asking people to keep an eye on backyard hens
MPI is asking people to keep a close eye on their backyard chooks after a bird flu scare in the forced killing of 200 thousand birds. A mainland egg farm near Moeraki tested positive for an aggressive and highly contagious strain of avian influenza; H7N6. That led to the farm being quarantined and the entire commerical chicken population being destroyed after the virus spread between sheds. Wildlife vet Brett Gartrell spoke to Lisa Owen.