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www.theguardian.com · August 12, 2026 · 06:01

Melbourne Royal Show poultry competition cancelled due to H5 bird flu

Organisers for the Melbourne Royal Show have cancelled the poultry competition this year, as a precautionary step given uncertainty about the spread of H5 bird flu.

The show’s executive general manager, Hannah von Bibra, said:

double quotation markFollowing consultation with Agriculture Victoria and the Chief Veterinary Officer team, Melbourne Royal is taking this precautionary step to protect the health and wellbeing of the Victorian poultry community.

Whilst there are currently no detections of H5N1 in Australian poultry, the situation is not predictable and, as such, we want to give our community as much certainty as possible.

The Melbourne Royal Show is planned for 24 September to 4 October.

The decision followed an announcement last week that the Royal Adelaide Show, scheduled for September, would cancel all of its bird shows and exhibits.