Woolworths is urging customers to shop normally as egg and poultry supply chains remain stable.
It comes as New Zealand’s largest egg supplier Mainland Poultry, accounting for nearly 40% of the country’s eggs, is putting hundreds of thousands of free-range chickens into lockdown after the deadly bird flu virus was detected in the country last week.
A spokesperson for Woolworths said it has established supply chain contingencies in place and is prepared to manage its supply network effectively.
“At this stage, our egg and poultry supply remains stable and we are continuing to put the same volume of products on our shelves.
“We encourage everyone to continue to shop as they normally would.”
A Foodstuffs spokesperson said they were monitoring the situation closely.
“We’re in regular contact with our poultry and egg suppliers, industry representatives and relevant authorities.
“We’ve been preparing for the possibility of H5N1 bird flu reaching New Zealand for some time as part of our business continuity planning.
“It’s too early to speculate on any potential impacts on supply or pricing. Like any potential disruption, we’ll continue working closely with our suppliers to understand any impacts if the situation changes, and keep our customers informed.”
In response to Herald questions, Mainland Poultry chief executive John McKay said they “don’t anticipate any impact on production or pricing at this stage”.
McKay, also chairman of the Egg Producers Federation, told Ryan Bridge TODAY the nationwide agribusiness had more than 1.3 million hens, with about 550,000 of those farmed as free-range.
He said free-range eggs made up about 45% of New Zealand’s total egg market, so there was clear consumer demand.
“Obviously, we care deeply about our birds,” McKay said.
“Let’s better understand the risk, understand where it might have spread or where it hasn’t spread, and then based on better understanding that risk, we can then make good decisions about what we do with those birds going forward.”
New Zealand’s first known case of the H5N1 strain was recorded on Wednesday in a wild brown skua found on Lower Hutt’s Petone Beach, with a second detection in a native kāhu, or swamp harrier, in the Wairarapa announced on Friday.