THE disposal of waste from a bird flu outbreak near Euroa will continue to be monitored by Agriculture Victoria over the next several weeks Indigo Shire Council addressed residents concerns on Facebook over the weekend after first learning Agriculture Victoria were using a site south of Rutherglen to dispose of infected chicken faeces, carcasses, soil and eggs. Mayor Sophie Price on Tuesday said council had only learned of the disposing of contaminated waste the same time the community did over the course of Saturday. “There are no permits from Indigo Shire that are required for this process to take place, it’s all dealt with through a different act and appropriate bodies like the Environmental Protection Act and with Australia’s strict biosecurity laws,” she said. “The Rutherglen community needs to understand what’s going on and needs to have confidence rather than concern over the processes that are taking place.” The H7N8 avian influenza had been detected at four poultry properties in Euroa over the past month. The area impacted by restrictions is east of the Goulburn Valley Freeway for Strathbogie Shire. Restrictions prohibit the movement of birds, equipment and products, including manure and eggs, within and out of both the control and restricted areas until further notice. An Agriculture Victoria spokesperson said on Facebook Wednesday, due to a range of environmental factors at the Euroa poultry properties, waste was not able to be disposed of on-site. “Agriculture Victoria’s Rutherglen site is suitable for biosecurity waste disposal,” they said. “Disposal activities are being conducted in line with Environment Protection Authority approvals. “Trucks are all fully sealed and decontaminated before they leave Euroa… eggs and birds have been safely buried in deep pits at the Rutherglen site with litter and feed being composted. “Importantly, this is not the H5N1 avian influenza strain that is impacting other parts of the world.” The spokesperson said transportation of material would continue for several weeks and an increase in traffic to the site may be observed. “Strict biosecurity measures are in place at the Euroa and Rutherglen sites,” they said. “Timely and safe disposal is critical to stop the virus spreading in poultry, and essential for meeting international standards to regain disease-free status and minimise trade and supply impacts.” Cr Price urged concerned community members to continue to raise their concerns with Agriculture Victoria. “We keep saying to them [Agriculture Victoria] there’s a void in terms of the information and it’s for them to provide that information to the Rutherglen community,” she said. You can find out more about Agriculture Victoria’s management of the contaminated waste disposal at Rutherglen via this link: agriculture.vic.gov.au/avianflu
