THE Australian chicken meat industry says Asian bans on Aussie poultry following the detection of bird flu in Victoria is an overreaction.

It is the first major embargo on Australian food exports on human health grounds for more than three decades.

The Japanese government yesterday announced the immediate suspension of Australian chicken meat, eggs and processed foods containing egg and chicken ingredients being allowed through its borders.

While very little Australian chicken meat is sold to Japan, the ban has sent shock waves through an agricultural sector unused to Australian food exports being banned because of a perceived risk to human health.

The Australian Chicken Meat Federation says Vietnam, Singapore, and Hong Kong have placed bans on all poultry products from Victoria, while Japan has cancelled all imports from across Australia.

The National Farmers' Federation last night accused the Japanese government of an "over-reaction" out of proportion to the minimal risk and isolated nature of the low-pathogenic avian influenza outbreak.

Most import restrictions on Australian products are imposed because of quarantine or insect risks, rather than a human safety threat.

The last major ban on human health grounds was in 1981, when the US temporarily banned some beef exports during the kangaroo meat substitution scandal because of fears the meat might be contaminated and unsafe to eat.

NFF trade specialist Charlie McElhone said last night he feared Japan had rushed into a hasty ban because of the extreme sensitivity surrounding the so-called Asian bird flu, which has killed more than 300 people in Asia since 2008.

He said the facts about the disease outbreak on two small duck farms north of Melbourne were very different, involving a non-harmful strain of avian influenza that has not even been detected in commercial poultry flocks.

"We would hope countries wouldn't rush into making rash decisions like this without first having access to all the information and facts," Mr McElhone said.

"As we understand it, there are no food safety issues involved in this outbreak, it is contained to just two duck farms. Poultry and eggs are completely safe to eat, the virus is non-transmissible and the risk to human health is negligible."

More than 25,000 free-range ducks on two properties at Mickleham and Gisborne, north of Melbourne, owned and operated by Golden Duck Farms, have been slaughtered by veterinary officers yesterday and on Monday after two birds tested positive to Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza.

The ducks were gassed with carbon dioxide in a bid to contain the outbreak and prevent its spread to Australia's $2.5 billion commercial poultry industry.

It is the first time avian influenza has been detected in Australian farm birds since 1997, and the fifth outbreak of the virulent virus since 1976.

All previous outbreaks have been successfully eradicated, although the virus is thought to exist without symptoms in wild duck and swan populations.

The NFF yesterday called on the Australian government to do all it could to ensure Japan removed the ban as quickly as possible, once the outbreak was contained and eradicated. The NFF is concerned other countries might follow Japan's "rash" move.

Late this afternoon NSW chief veterinary officer Ian Roth said some of the state's disease experts would work with Victorian counterparts to assist in the flu's managmeent.

"The NSW experts were appointed to the project team based on their strong animal health skills and previous experience, including with outbreaks of Equine Influenza and Hendra in horses," Dr Roth said.

"The officers will be involved in a range of activities, including the containment of the disease.

"Working with the Victorian authorities we've completed an extensive tracing exercise to rule out any risks to NSW's poultry industry."

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