Bird flu orders change

CONTROLS aimed at containing further outbreaks of avian influenza in Golden Plains have been again dialled back.

A restricted area that was in place across much of the south-east of the Shire has been removed and replaced by a control area centred around Lethbridge.

The new control order runs from the Shelford-Mt Mercer Road to west of Maude, just north of Lethbridge Airport and down to Bannockburn-Shelford Road.

Under the order permits from Agriculture Victoria are needed to buy, sell or move eggs, manure and chickens in the area, and include commercial farmers, backyard owners, side of the road stalls and online.

The region’s over six-month long battle with bird flu started in July last year when the highly virulent H7N7 strain of the disease was found on a commercial chicken farm in the Lethbridge area.

More cases were subsequently detected nearby, while a turkey farm in the area also had birds come back positive for the H5N2 variant of the illness.