The first vaccines against H5N1 bird flu will be administered to Australian wildlife over the coming days and weeks, the Albanese government has confirmed.

Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said $2 million worth of vaccines – about 1500 vials – had been acquired for the initial vaccination program, which would target native animals in captivity most at risk of the disease.

“This approach will mean that the states and territories are able to commence vaccination activities, initially focusing on priority species in captivity,” Collins told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday.

“We’ve been very clear that we cannot stop the [H5N1] … spreading amongst wild birds. But we can take action to protect the species most at risk, and the vaccination is now part of that response.”

The minister added that the risk of the H5N1 strain to human health remained low and there was no evidence it had infected Australia’s poultry or agricultural system.

“We have been doing everything we can do to keep it out of that system for the very reasons that we want to make sure that important staples remain available to the Australian public, which is why … we’ve invested early.

“We continue to work really closely, particularly in meat and the egg industry, in relation to keeping it out of our system. Overseas we have seen it spill over into agriculture, so we’re doing everything we can do to keep it out.”

Over the weekend, the first case of H5N1 bird flu in inland Australia was detected in western NSW, at the junction of the Murray and Darling rivers on the Victorian border. Experts say it is a sign the virus will spread rapidly across the continent.

This particular strain of bird flu first arrived in Australia in June via seabirds blown off course from the sub-Antarctic flyway. There have been more than 200 confirmed detections across the country.

More to come