Following outbreaks across continental Europe, there’s nervousness that Newcastle disease could threaten UK flocks. Michael Barker reports
With all the focus on avian flu, there’s been another disease quietly threatening to cause a major headache for UK producers.
Newcastle disease (ND) is on the march in Europe, with a major outbreak in Poland followed by new cases in the Czech Republic, Germany and Spain as concerns grow that the disease could reach these shores.
ND is highly contagious in poultry, and can spread rapidly through direct contact with contaminated birds – both alive and dead – as well as bodily fluids or faecal matter, contaminated feed, water, vehicles, equipment or clothing.
The disease can be spread from wild birds, such as pigeons, to commercial flocks. However, according to Aonghus Lane, clinical director (Ireland) at St David’s Poultry Team, while wild birds are the likely source of spread, introduction into bird-specific areas is most likely through people and equipment, emphasising the need to always maintain the highest level of biosecurity.
“Over the past 12-18 months, there have been ongoing cases of Newcastle disease in eastern Europe,” Lane explains. “Unfortunately, since autumn 2025, there has been an increase in cases through central Europe too, with cases now occurring as far west as Spain. This is a worrying development for Newcastle disease.”
Will Raw, chair of the NFU Poultry Board, points to recent confirmed cases of the disease in Spain, Poland and most recently Germany. “This is a growing concern for us as UK farmers, and subsequently the UK government has increased the risk of poultry exposure in this country from low to medium,” he adds. “We know only too well the risk of disease transmission from wild birds to poultry, therefore welcome the government’s ongoing disease monitoring both here and around the world.”
APHA’s decision to increase the perceived risk level of ND being introduced into the UK comes as the government stresses it is closely monitoring the situation across Europe. In its latest report, dated 30 March, Defra noted that since the initial outbreaks in Germany in late February – the first instances since 2008 – ND has now hit a total of 40 outbreaks in poultry in that country. A further outbreak in poultry in Valencia, Spain – the country’s sixth case – underlines how the situation is spreading.
Defra says the reason behind the rapid spread of ND in Germany has not yet been identified, but that it will be closely monitored to observe whether it spreads further westwards towards the UK.
Lane says clinical signs to look out for include respiratory distress, neurological signs such as twisted necks, tremors and paralysis, watery greenish diarrhoea, depression, lack of appetite, high mortality, and a potential drop in egg production and increased numbers of soft-shelled eggs. These signs may not all be present simultaneously, and in milder cases, only breathing problems and reduced production might be observed.
“Prevention is through a high standard of biosecurity measures and vaccination where possible,” emphasises Lane, adding that all commercial pullets, broiler breeders and most turkeys in the UK are vaccinated against ND. It’s a similar story in Europe, and in some countries such as Poland it is also compulsory to vaccinate broilers.
Raw echoes that vaccinations to prevent incursion of ND are commercially available in the UK for some sectors. “I would encourage British poultry keepers to maintain the vaccination of flocks where appropriate, and continue to practice stringent biosecurity practices,” he says.
Defra stresses that while it is well documented that outbreaks of ND can still occur in the face of vaccination, there is no evidence to suggest that vaccines are ineffective. “It is possible that this is instead due to inaccurate assessment of immunoprotection
levels, improper administration of vaccines such as using two different vaccines, or the incomplete or inadequate vaccination of young flocks,” it says.
There’s a further issue: with several countries now implementing vaccine campaigns, there are fears it could put additional strain on vaccine supply. “The disease landscape is uncertain, with sub-optimal vaccination protocols implicated in the persistence of the outbreaks,” Defra says.
The situation is less than ideal, and comes at a time when there have been Europe-wide delays in the production of certain vaccines, and particularly those used in rearing. As BFREPA notes, ongoing disease challenges across Europe have constrained the supply of specific pathogen-free eggs – which are essential in vaccine manufacture – and this is now having a direct impact on availability.
Supply has moved beyond tight, with avian encephalomyelitis vaccines now out of stock and Newcastle disease vaccines also in short supply across Europe, the trade body says. “The entire supply chain is working hard to remedy the situation, however shortfalls are unavoidable under these conditions,” it continues. “Looking ahead, it is important that pharmaceutical companies can continue to invest in maintaining consistent supply. This relies on the market recognising the value of vaccines, with pricing that reflects the technical, scientific, developmental and logistical effort required for their production.”
BFREPA has been flagging up the risks of ND to members in recent months, and highlighted by way of comparison the devastating Essex 70 virus (a highly virulent strain of Newcastle disease) that led to over 7,000 outbreaks throughout the country in 1970/71, as well as 15 outbreaks in broilers and turkeys in 1997 associated with migrating birds.
Dave Hodson of Rosehill Poultry Services told BFREPA: “I had the chance to speak recently with Dr Richard Irvine, chief veterinary officer for Wales, and it was refreshing to see the level of seriousness he approached this outbreak with. David Hodson Snr was at the forefront of fighting the 1970s outbreak using the first generation of vaccines. It can’t be underestimated how serious the implications of this disease are. One of the first cases was a laying site of 6,000 birds which had a 100% mortality rate. The disease wreaked havoc in the UK and was only brought under control by two key acts which have to be done correctly.” Those two points, Hodson emphasises, are “gold-standard biosecurity” and vaccination.
BFREPA board member Ian Jones, director at Hafren Veterinary Group, says ND represents another severe and devastating disease that affects poultry and other birds, but expresses confidence in the industry’s reaction. “I personally believe our commercial pullet rearers in the UK are doing a good job of ND vaccination, so that is comforting,” he says.
Overall, the free-range egg producers’ association’s message is one of “contingency, not complacency”. “The risks of UK outbreaks of Newcastle disease are not high, but the recent Defra outbreak assessment rising to medium – which means an event occurs regularly – indicates that the risk has increased,” it says. “As a result all producers should review their disease-control procedures and report any suspicions or concerns they have about their flocks without delay.”
It’s difficult to forecast what’s ahead for the disease over the coming year, but industry sources are clearly satisfied with how seriously the authorities are taking the situation. Producers are protecting themselves as best they can, but as has been seen with avian flu, once a disease takes hold it can be much more difficult to eradicate it. All eyes will be closely watching what happens next.
How Newcastle disease is spread
As BFREPA explains, ND is spread from bird to bird or flock to flock by direct contact with bodily fluids of infected birds, especially their faeces. It can also be spread indirectly through people and objects that have been in contact with infected birds, or their faeces.
The disease can also be spread locally or over large distances via wild birds. Whereas avian flu is predominantly thought to be spread by waterfowl (ducks, geese or swans), ND virus has a potentially bigger host range and outbreaks have been linked to pigeons, crows, rooks, seagulls, cormorants and probably many more bird species.
Objects that can carry the disease include vehicles, equipment – including trolleys and egg trays – clothing, water and feed.