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OTH-35 ACT Bird Flu Action Email MP TS - Website
OTH-35 ACT Bird Flu Action Email MP TS - Website
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We must protect our marine wildlife from bird flu
We must protect our marine wildlife from bird flu
We must protect our marine wildlife from bird flu
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I am concerned about bird flu; what’s your plan?
Dear Environment Minister Watt and Agriculture Minister Collins, I am writing to thank you for recently announcing an additional $95 million in funding for bird flu preparedness, including for wild bird surveillance and protective actions for threatened species and priority biodiversity. I am deeply concerned about the impacts on Australian wildlife when the deadly new H5N1 strain of bird flu reaches our shores. When this virus arrives, Australia could face a potential wildlife disaster on the scale of the black summer bushfires. When this virus arrived in South America in 2023, 40 per cent of Peru’s pelicans, over 30,000 sea lions, and 17,000 elephant seal pups were killed. Millions of wild birds have died worldwide, and research suggests our black swans could face local extinctions. Australia urgently needs to identify and prioritise at-risk species and high-value sites and develop detailed response plans. Options to reduce wildlife deaths and prevent extinctions include preventing disturbance of affected wildlife colonies, swiftly removing carcasses and possibly vaccination. I am therefore asking that you: 1. Continue prioritising investment into a broad national wildlife preparedness taskforce, co-led by the Agriculture and Environment departments, together with non-government participants, to drive collaborative preparedness. 2. Ensure that H5 HPAI preparedness and response remains a priority issue for Agriculture Ministers throughout the year and not just ahead of the spring migration, reflecting the fact that bird flu remains an ongoing threat. 3. Scale up public communication, including working with non-government partners to achieve this effectively Research indicates that the risk of an H5N1 incursion is ongoing, not seasonal. We must remain vigilant and continue to prioritise preparation and mitigation plans. Time is running out to take meaningful action to prepare for the potentially devastating impacts of deadly bird flu. I look forward to your response and swift action on this issue.
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