Don't get in a flap: bird flu cases not hurting Border's chicken supplies

Haus of Meat owner Mark Bollinghaus who has stores in Wodonga and Lavington (within Discount Grocery Warehouse) hasn't seen a downturn from his supplier despite five recorded cases of the disease in the state.

It led to supermarket giant Coles introducing a two-carton per customer limit on eggs.

Mr Bollinghaus admitted avian influenza was a concern and "something that we'll monitor very closely" but said there was no reason for customers to be worried about missing out on chicken during their weekly shop.

"Poultry is probably 50 per cent of our business," he said.

"There's no shortage in numbers at all.

"I remember years ago somebody said the banks were going to run out of money and they did because everyone went and took all their money out.

"If they start saying there's going to be shortages and everyone starts panicking and buying up like COVID times, there will be a shortage."

Mr Bollinghaus said his business ordered and bone out 400 to 500 chickens per day, but the amount could vary.

"Our numbers are a little bit inconsistent with poultry probably ever since COVID. We do get shortages, but it's not related to the bird flu at all, it's just that the numbers aren't there sometimes," he said.

"We don't want any more outbreaks or sheds getting closed or anything like that, that's for sure, but in saying that, at the moment, we haven't experienced any shortages and let's hope it stays that way."

Hazeldenes Chicken, based at Lockwood near Bendigo, supplies many butchers in Victoria, including Haus of Meat.

"Hazeldenes don't have independent suppliers, from the ground up they have it all under control. They have to be for something like this (avian influenza) to make sure it doesn't affect their business," he said.

Mr Bollinghaus said he was confident it would be business as usual but would "never say never" to a potential shortage.

"People will come to the shop and ask if you are going to run out of meat and I say 'no', but in COVID we sold everything, every day," he said.

"You want to be busy, but I never want to be that busy again in my life."

Butcher on Rise co-owner Kane Mathieson is also supplied by Hazeldenes and reported no supply issues with his two Wodonga shops and Thurgoona venture.