Agriculture
26 January, 2025
Activists want new season dropped, claiming virus risk
COALITION Against Duck Shooting this week called for the 2025 season to be abandoned to reduce the rusk of H5N1 avian influenza virus hitting Australia. “Australia remains the only continent to have avoided the H5N1 strain of avian influenza to...
COALITION Against Duck Shooting this week called for the 2025 season to be abandoned to reduce the rusk of H5N1 avian influenza virus hitting Australia.
“Australia remains the only continent to have avoided the H5N1 strain of avian influenza to date. However, the virus is reportedly devastating penguins and other species in Antarctica,” said the Coalition’s Laurie Levy.
“With migratory birds continuing to arrive from both the northern hemisphere and Antarctica, the risk to Australian wildlife and agricultural industries is unprecedented.
“Duck shooters and rescuers handling dead and possibly contaminated birds on Victoria’s wetlands would only further spread the virus.”
Last year, Mr Levy and other anti-duck shooting activists claimed hunters had damaged Aboriginal scar trees and protesters were handcuffed on the final weekend of the season at Lake Boort.
Game Management Authority said a person had been fined for illegally cutting down a tree at Lake Boort but an inspection showed its was not a scar tree.
Seven non-hunters are also being investigated for hindering or obstructing an authorised officer.
“While some people breached game hunting and public safety laws, most of the people our authorised officers spoke with were complying with the law,” the authority said.