A bird flu outbreak in WA could push egg prices to $11 a carton and have far-reaching impacts on agricultural, retail, hospitality and tourism businesses, CCIWA warns.
At the time of publishing, H5 bird flu in WA had only been detected in migratory birds, not in the agricultural sector which maintains strict, world-class biosecurity standards.
Find out more: latest updates on H5 bird flu detection
But CCIWA said planning for a worst-case scenario was essential.
“If bird flu does spread to agriculture and birds need to be culled, farmers may be eligible for compensation to replace them, but that doesn’t come close to covering the true cost of an outbreak on a farm,” CCIWA Chief Executive Officer Will Golsby said.
“Farmers would then need to source new chickens, grow them to productive size and navigate re-entry to markets and supply chains.
“It could be months of lost profit with farmers facing immediate cash flow challenges.
CCIWA said support for businesses across the supply chain including retailers, butchers and hospitality venues should be considered.
Prepare for egg price hike
“We saw from outbreaks of a different strain of bird flu on the East Coast in 2024 that egg prices were impacted across the nation, so we can expect a similar price spike if the situation in WA escalates,” Golsby said.
According to CCIWA’s calculations, a 30% drop in supply could lead to eggs reaching $9-11 a carton – a 75% hike from the standard $6 carton.
Higher egg prices would cause severe cost pressures to smaller commercial bakeries, cafes and restaurants, forcing them to raise their prices or use powdered or liquid egg substitutes.
“This will further squeeze businesses already struggling with rising costs and will impact prices for consumers who are also doing it tough,” Golsby said.
Watch for tourism
Industries that rely on native bird populations, including tourism operators, wildlife sanctuaries and zoos, could also be economically impacted.
“Nature-based tourism, which includes birdwatching, is worth around $1.5 billion a year to WA’s economy,” Golsby said.
“A major bird flu outbreak impacting native birds would impact tourism directly.”
Golsby said wildlife sanctuaries and biosecurity services would also require additional support if an outbreak spread.
“Wildlife sanctuaries do an incredible amount of work in our community with very little funding and, alongside poultry farmers, are on the frontline in protecting WA from the virus,” he said.
“These services shoulder costs that would otherwise fall to government and help to reduce the risk of disease spread.
“With potential for significant losses to wildlife, adequate and timely support should be considered to help these services navigate turbulent times ahead.”
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