Domestic poultry owners in the affected regions have been advised to keep all birds locked up until the outbreaks are under control.

Bird flu is spread by wild birds and a theory is that it becomes a major problem with heavy rain after a drought period.

Waterbirds are high on the list of suspects.

Six poultry farms across Victoria have been affected and so 400,000 laying hens, turkeys and emus have been destroyed.

Leading authorities on the management of domestic poultry said allowing birds to roam free-range in gardens and paddocks put them at great risk of contamination and until the present risk abated, they must be kept locked up.

The same applies for free-range hens.

Care must be taken to ensure water and food sources cannot be contaminated by wild birds.

Chlorinating the water may be beneficial.

Certainly, keep free-roaming poultry away from any dams.

A Werribee egg producer has said the disease outbreaks highlighted the need for the industry to have a mix of caged, barn, and free-range farming to maintain the nation's food security, for eggs and meat.

The current risk of bird flu should be a timely reminder that housing for poultry must be spacious enough to ensure bird welfare if they are forced into lockdown.

"Free-range farms were only ever meant to be run as 1000 to 2000 bird operations, which is low risk, not mass-produced for supermarkets," the producer said.

Should you have birds that are unwell contact your local veterinary officer or a veterinarian as soon as possible. The outbreak is best controlled with immediate disposal of affected flocks.

They would have to be very happy little Vegemites at Bega Cheese where against all odds the Australian company has reported a 2019-20 profit after tax of $21.3 million.

This left the previous year's profit of $4.4 million in the dust.

With a $60 million profit from the sale of a share in Warrnambool Cheese and Butter, Bega has made some canny investments highlighted by buying the Kraft subsidiary from Mondelez Australia, which gave it Vegemite and peanut butter brands.

There would be no better a time to cash in on the public emotion of buying Australian. Also, the nation's export trading bottom line has also benefited from around $500 million in export sales by the company.

Bega head Barry Irvin said: "I'm actually quite proud of how the business has performed this year...we've delivered stable numbers to the market as far as the profit and financial performance is concerned."

"And we've achieved all that while dealing with drought, fires and then COVID-19," Mr Irvin said.

Fingers crossed that the Bega board can work out a deal for a tilt for Lion's dairy and drinks business, returning the iconic Dairy Farmers and Pura back into Australian hands.