Rowena Duncum: The Country host on chicken exports returning to normal after bird flu outbreak

Chicken exports are returning to normal after a bird flu outbreak in Otago last year.

Last December, New Zealand experienced its first confirmed case of avian influenza on an Otago egg farm and thousands of chickens were culled.

While the outbreak was contained to the Hillgrove farm, measures were taken to prevent further spread, including surveillance and temporary suspension of chicken exports.

The Country's Rowena Duncum explains further.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
With us right now filling in for Jamie dun Jamie
McKay on the country is Rowenda Duncan.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
Hey Roe, Hey, Heather. I've got a question for you.
When do you change the batteries in your smoke ybes? No?

Speaker 1 (00:11):
Did it go off in the night? Did it?

Speaker 2 (00:13):
It did three fourteen this morning in Jamie's house. In
Jamie's house, I think he stitched me up. He said,
look after the show, don't be too good, and I
think he was a bit worried, says my smoke alarm
to god? Did you have a look? Grown?

Speaker 1 (00:25):
Here's the thing. Did you have a look whether it's
one of those ones you changed the batteries in, or
whether it's one of those ones with a permanent ten
year battery.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
It's a nine vault. It should have been changed at
daylight saving, which has just happened.

Speaker 1 (00:35):
Oh classic. Do you know what if his house burns down,
none of us are going to feel sorry about it.

Speaker 2 (00:40):
Eh. Would you change the battery for him? Bro? I
will do that tonight. I'm about to walk to the
supermarket after I talk to you, because that's what I do.
Here about I get things done.

Speaker 1 (00:49):
You keep that receipt and get a reimbursement. Now, what's
going on with the chicken exports.

Speaker 2 (00:54):
Yeah, so obviously last December we had our first case
of pathogenic avian influenza and otago egg. Thousands of chickens
were held. It was all really really devastating. Thankfully the
outbreak was contained to one farm and MPI have updated
us and said, you know, obviously when something like this happens,
you put a bit of a halt on exports, you

(01:15):
lose market access. But about around three hundred million dollars,
which is about seventy five percent of trade and poultry products,
has been recovered and a spokesperson, Fatigel, who's one of
the major exporters, is several international markets and post temporary restrictions,
they've been working closely with MPI but they are helping
them regain access to those markets and now it's only

(01:37):
a couple that they still have access problems being worked through.
So a really good outcome for that, because obviously the
moment you have an issue in other country is like, hey,
we can fill that. We've got chickens to spare, give
us that access, and sometimes it is really really hard
to regain it. So well done to everyone.

Speaker 1 (01:55):
Now, what's happened on the farms over the weekend.

Speaker 2 (01:57):
Oh, it's just awful as well, you know. So we
had two farm fatalities involving vehicles over the weekend. And
I was chatting to the chair of Safer Farms Today,
Lindy Nelson, who explained that every farm death, every tragedy,
at least two hundred people are immediately affected, and looking
at it from a wider perspective, at least three thousand

(02:17):
people are involved. She said, there's multiple ways of addressing
this over the years. There's been different campaigns Farm Without Harm.
That's one of the latest strategies to come out a
couple of years ago. That's about coming together collectively as
farmers and the industry and recognizing that we need to
improve how we address farm safety. They've got shared resources

(02:38):
on their website, genuine stories from farmers what's worked for them,
what hasn't you know, where they've gone wrong, and what
they've done to improve so that we can learn from
the good and the bad examples. But look, it's just
it's absolutely devastating. No one goes to work intending to
get injured. We all want to come home safe at night.
And she said it's about assessing the resk, looking at

(02:59):
what's to have had weather events over the weekends. Sometimes
when you go to work there's a new risk because
it rained and it wasn't there yesterday. So it's about
thinking and changing how you think. And the one thing
that stuck out for me, Heather, as she said, you know,
talking about safety, it can make us feel uncomfortable, but
it's less uncomfortable than going to someone's funeral, And that

(03:19):
really sums it up.

Speaker 1 (03:20):
That's true, right, Hey, Roe, good luck with the smoke
alarm this evening. That's Rowena Duncan filling in on the
Country for Jamie McKay.

Speaker 2 (03:27):
For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to
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