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Bird Flu Funding Skewed: Wildlife Ignored?
30 Aug
Summary
- Federal funding for bird flu is criticized for favoring commercial farms.
- Animal groups warn native populations are inadequately defended.
- Critics call the $20 million for native wildlife 'deeply unserious'.
Animal advocacy groups in Australia are voicing strong concerns that federal funding designated to combat the deadly bird flu virus is disproportionately allocated to biosecurity measures for commercial chicken farms, while inadequately defending threatened native populations. The Invasive Species Council labelled the additional $20 million for native wildlife resilience as "deeply unserious," noting it is a fraction of the support given to commercial interests.
The federal government announced $125 million for emergency biosecurity and an additional $20 million for native wildlife, urging states to match. However, experts argue this $20 million is a mere fraction of the estimated $200 million needed to bolster native species against H5N1, which first arrived in Australia in June. Wildlife groups advocate for eradicating feral pests, managing wetlands, and temporary fishery closures to protect at-risk species.
Experts like BirdLife Australia's chief executive expressed astonishment, believing the $20 million was a typo. This funding, they state, is barely enough to sustain already concluding programs, such as pest control on seabird colony islands. The virus, which has a low human risk, has devastated wildlife globally, with significant losses in South America and poultry deaths in the US, impacting egg prices.
