# Risk of H5 bird flu to commercial beef cattle & sheep industries?

> Australia's Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry cites a September 2025 risk assessment rating H5 bird flu risk as negligible for beef cattle and small ruminants, and low for dairy and pigs. Globally H5 bird flu has been detected in cattle, with rare detections in sheep. The article is an advisory summary of existing findings.

- Date: 2026-06-22 · published 2026-06-22T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: report · region Australia · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/15907-risk-of-h5-bird-flu-to-commercial-beef-cattle-and-sheep-industries
- Commodities: [Lean Hogs](https://feedsoft.ai/c/HOGS.md), [Chicken](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CHICKEN.md), [Soybean Meal](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SBM.md)

## Why it matters

Negligible risk to Australian beef and sheep herds means no expected change in livestock supply or feed demand from this advisory.

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| HOGS | 2022-10-26 | [US Beef Demand Seen Falling in 2023 as Cattle Herd Continues to Shrink – The Van Trump Report](https://feedsoft.ai/events/39088-us-beef-demand-seen-falling-in-2023-as-cattle-herd-continues-to-shrink-the-van.md) | -2.2% | -5.8% |
| HOGS | 2018-10-12 | [U.S. livestock: Cattle futures rise on cut in beef production estimate - AgCanada](https://feedsoft.ai/events/62669-u-s-livestock-cattle-futures-rise-on-cut-in-beef-production-estimate-agcanada.md) | -14.1% | -14.1% |
| HOGS | 2025-05-23 | [Diseases continue to cross species barrier as global bird flu cases double  \| The National](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16003-diseases-continue-to-cross-species-barrier-as-global-bird-flu-cases-double-the.md) | +2.2% | +14.1% |
| HOGS | 2024-02-16 | [Tight Supplies Expected to Boost Cattle and Hog Prices in 2024](https://feedsoft.ai/events/31615-tight-supplies-expected-to-boost-cattle-and-hog-prices-in-2024.md) | +3.9% | +4.0% |
| HOGS | 2025-01-28 | [Live cattle contracts hit lifetime highs following USDA report - CME
						 \| The Beef Site](https://feedsoft.ai/events/26649-live-cattle-contracts-hit-lifetime-highs-following-usda-report-cme-the-beef-site.md) | +2.0% | +6.6% |
| SBM | 2025-05-23 | [Diseases continue to cross species barrier as global bird flu cases double  \| The National](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16003-diseases-continue-to-cross-species-barrier-as-global-bird-flu-cases-double-the.md) | -0.3% | -4.4% |
| SBM | 2023-03-01 | [SA poultry edges closer to being a R60bn industry - Moneyweb](https://feedsoft.ai/events/37023-sa-poultry-edges-closer-to-being-a-r60bn-industry-moneyweb.md) | +2.6% | -6.2% |
| SBM | 2022-05-10 | [China Feed Industry Association: Four measures to combat the cost soaring of domestic feed ingredients](https://feedsoft.ai/events/41394-china-feed-industry-association-four-measures-to-combat-the-cost-soaring-of.md) | +0.5% | -0.6% |

## Sources

- asheepbeef.org.au: https://www.asheepbeef.org.au/post/risk-of-h5-bird-flu-to-beef-cattle-sheep

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.