The cull of pheasants at a farm in Surrey to stop the spread of Newcastle Disease has been completed. The affected premises are now being cleansed and disinfected.

Defra has continued to urge poultry keepers all over the country to stay vigilant following the outbreak at the farm and to alert authorities if their birds show suspicious symptoms.

However, there have been no other confirmed outbreaks of the disease anywhere in the country.

There has been no evidence of the disease spreading from the original infected area or that infected birds have been imported elsewhere in the UK.

Defra moved swiftly once samples taken from pheasants imported for shooting from France proved positive for the disease on the 15th July. An Infected Area around the outbreak was declared, imposing movement restrictions on poultry and poultry products in order to limit any spread of disease. The State Veterinary Service is carrying out surveillance in the area to detect any signs of spread of disease.

The UK contacted the French authorities who immediately began a thorough investigation. There was a rapid exchange of information with the French authorities, who identified a number of farms that had supplied birds to the infected premises. Their investigations suggest that birds on one farm have been exposed to the ND virus. Other EU Member States and the European Commission have been kept informed and have not imposed any further trade restrictions on either the UK or France.

The poultry industry, the NFU, shooting organisations and other stakeholders have been kept closely informed since the disease was confirmed.