Australia’s poultry industry warns of soaring prices as avian influenza risks loom

Ingham’s Group warns consumers may face higher chicken prices amid rising feed costs and biosecurity preparations as H5N1 avian influenza spreads through wild bird populations in Australia.

Australia’s largest chicken producer has warned that consumers are likely to face higher poultry prices as industry costs continue to climb, even before any confirmed outbreak in commercial flocks.

Edward Alexander, chief executive of Ingham’s Group, told investors that the company was already dealing with roughly A$130 million in additional costs in 2026-27, driven by feed, inflation and broader market pressures. He said retail prices tend to follow the cost base, suggesting the impact would flow through to shoppers.

Mr Alexander described H5 avian influenza as a “real and significant risk” for the sector, but said Ingham’s had prepared extensively, including sending executives to Europe to study biosecurity responses. The company, which supplies about 40 per cent of Australia’s chicken meat, has invested in surveillance, contingency planning and response protocols, he said.

Australia’s poultry industry has so far avoided detections in domestic flocks, but the virus has now been found in wild birds, and authorities are watching closely after recent cases in native species and mammals, including a fox in Adelaide and a suspected case in a dolphin at Goolwa Beach. The Commonwealth says H5N1 can affect birds and, in rare cases, humans, but there is no food safety issue from properly handled chicken.

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