What assessment, if any, has he or his agency made of the potential impacts of an H5N1 avian influenza outbreak on domestic poultry production costs and supply fluctuations, given that New Zealand is not generally an importer of poultry meat or eggs?

Answer

I am advised that the exact nature of impacts on the poultry sector is difficult to quantify, since it is unclear as to the likely patterns of spread of H5 bird flu and the extent and scale of impacts across the sector. Based on overseas experiences and the nature of the New Zealand poultry industry, the layer sector is expected to be more significantly impacted than the broiler sector. While some countries experienced egg price increases following H5 bird flu outbreaks in poultry farms, the impact on poultry meat production has generally been minimal.