Royal Adelaide Show drops bird and poultry contests as bird flu cases surge

The Royal Adelaide Show, scheduled for early September, will proceed without any bird or poultry exhibits after the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society of South Australia decided to cancel those sections. The move follows a jump in confirmed H5 bird flu cases in South Australia to 119, more than three quarters of the national total. Will Rayner, chief executive of the Society, said the cancellation was a precautionary step to give volunteers and exhibitors ample time to adjust, even though the perceived risk was low.

About 150 exhibitors, volunteers and stewards in the bird and poultry area will be impacted, though numbers had already been down roughly 20 percent as participants self-regulated. Authorities’ extensive safety recommendations could not be fully implemented at the show, leading to the early decision.