CANBERRA, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Organizers of a major annual agricultural show in South Australia (SA) on Friday canceled bird and poultry exhibitions at the upcoming event amid a surge of H5N1 bird flu cases.
The Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society of South Australia said on Friday that bird and poultry exhibitions and competitions at the 2026 Royal Adelaide Show, which begins on Sept. 5, will not go ahead as a precaution.
Will Rayner, chief executive of the society, told reporters that organizers received wide-ranging advice from authorities on how to reduce the avian influenza risk, but felt the show could not comply.
"While we think the risk is very low, we took the decision now out of an abundance of caution to make sure that our volunteers and exhibitors had as much time to prepare as possible," he said.
Local newspaper The Advertiser reported that it will be the first time in the show's 187-year history that bird competitions will not take place.
According to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, as of Friday, there had been 175 confirmed cases of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain in Australia. Of the 175 cases, 119 have been detected in SA after 32 new cases in the state were confirmed on Friday.
Australia's Chief Veterinary Officer, Beth Cookson, said in a statement on Friday that there have been no detections in poultry or agricultural systems and the risk to human health remains low. ■
