Defra raises Newcastle disease risk as outbreaks spread across Europe

The risk of Newcastle disease entering poultry in Great Britain has been raised from low to medium as outbreaks continue to spread across Europe, Defra has warned.

The UK has remained free of Newcastle disease in commercial poultry for several years.

The warning, outlined in a new Defra report, follows Germany confirming its first outbreak of the disease in nearly two decades, alongside a growing number of cases in Poland and elsewhere in Europe.

Germany reported the outbreak to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) on 20 February at a domestic poultry farm in Brandenburg, less than one kilometre from the Polish border.

According to WOAH, it is the country’s first confirmed case since September 2008 and the first recorded in Brandenburg since 1996.

A second outbreak was confirmed days later at another poultry farm in Bavaria, northwest of Munich, around 500km from the first case.

Newcastle disease is a highly contagious virus that can cause severe illness and high mortality in poultry.

The first German outbreak was detected after signs of illness appeared on 19 February in a turkey fattening flock in Neissemünde, Brandenburg. Around 1,000 six-week-old turkeys died before testing at the Friedrich-Loeffler Institute confirmed the presence of the virus.

Between 18,000 and 23,000 birds were believed to be present on the premises at the time of the outbreak. Control measures were quickly introduced, including culling infected birds and restricting movements in the surrounding area.

Authorities established protection and surveillance zones around the farm, alongside movement restrictions and enhanced biosecurity measures.

Although vaccination against Newcastle disease is compulsory for chickens and turkeys in Germany, officials said the affected flock was at an age when booster vaccinations are typically administered, which can leave birds temporarily more vulnerable to infection.

Authorities have launched investigations into how the virus reached the farms. Early analysis indicates the viral strain involved is closely related to variants currently circulating in Poland.

Poland remains the European country most heavily affected by Newcastle disease.

Since late January, a further 17 outbreaks have been reported in commercial poultry farms, with cases spread widely across the centre and west of the country. Outbreaks since the start of 2026 have affected as many as 1.8 million birds.

Polish authorities have introduced awareness campaigns, strengthened testing capacity and tightened vaccination and movement controls to limit the spread of the disease.

Cases have also been reported in non-commercial flocks and other bird species across Europe.

Recent reports show outbreaks in non-commercial poultry holdings in Poland and Spain, along with cases in non-poultry birds in Poland, Czechia, Lithuania and Slovakia. Some incidents in the Czech Republic involved wild birds, including Eurasian collared-doves.

Defra said Great Britain already applies disease safeguard measures which restrict imports of live poultry and poultry products from affected areas under regionalisation rules.

However, the department warned that uncertainties remain about the factors driving the increase in outbreaks across eastern Europe and the recent detections in Germany.

Many cases have occurred in broiler farms, where vaccination may not always be applied consistently due to the rapid turnover and short lifespan of birds. Monitoring in Poland has also found protective antibody levels in some broiler and turkey flocks were lower than expected.

Earlier cases in Spain had raised concerns about potential spread through migratory bird routes along the East Atlantic Flyway. However, no new cases have been reported in commercial poultry farms there since January.

Millions of migratory birds are expected to travel north through Europe in the coming months, which could increase the risk of disease spread.

Defra said “the risk of introduction of Newcastle disease into poultry in Great Britain is considered to be raised from low to medium”.

Import controls reduce the likelihood of the virus entering through legal trade. However, officials said it could still be introduced through illegal movements of birds or products, contaminated equipment or contact with infected wild birds.

Feral pigeons are also considered a potential carrier, as pigeon paramyxovirus type 1 is endemic in pigeon populations across Britain and Europe.

However, the role of wild birds in spreading the virus remains poorly understood.

Defra is urging poultry keepers to maintain strict biosecurity and consider vaccination where appropriate. Vaccines against Newcastle disease are commercially available in the UK and are widely used across much of the commercial poultry sector.

Officials said the situation across Europe will continue to be monitored closely.