Australia’s Victoria lifts poultry housing restrictions amid ongoing H5N1 risk

Victoria, Australia, lifted its temporary poultry housing requirements on 16 October 2026, after nearly ten weeks of restrictions aimed at reducing the risk of H5 bird flu entering poultry flocks.

Introduced in early August, the measures applied to flocks of 50 or more birds in metropolitan Melbourne and designated coastal and southern areas. Agriculture Victoria cited animal welfare considerations and forecasts of hotter-than-average summer temperatures as reasons for ending the restrictions.

Highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza continues to be detected in wildlife across Victoria, but no cases of H5 bird flu have been reported in Australian poultry or livestock.

Victoria’s Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Graeme Cooke, has called on poultry producers to continue limiting contact between their flocks and wild birds. Recommended measures include protecting feed and water from wild birds and preventing them from entering poultry sheds and yards.

Surveillance will continue, with further restrictions possible if the situation changes. Producers are also advised to review their biosecurity plans and monitor their flocks for signs of disease.