Tom RoseJournalist·NZ Herald·19 Jul, 2026 09:08 PM3 mins to read‌Mainland Poultry CEO John McKay says the company has housed its free-range hens as a precaution following the second case of bird flu. Video / Ryan Bridge TODAYNew Zealand’s largest egg supplier is putting hundreds of thousands of free-range chickens into lockdown after the deadly bird flu virus was detected in the country for the first time.

Mainland Poultry, which supplies nearly 40% of the country’s eggs, has taken the precautionary step of isolating more than half