Analysis of the avian flu virus strain found in Suffolk has confirmed that it is 'essentially identical' to the strain that caused an outbreak of the disease in Hungary.
DEFRA's deputy chief vet, Fred Landeg, said that the analysis had revealed a very high similarity (99.96%) between the H5N1 viruses found in Suffolk and in Hungary.
"These results indicate that the viruses are essentially identical," he added
"I am grateful for the hard work of the Veterinary Laboratory Agency which has informed our investigation and the current working hypothesis that poultry to poultry transmission is the most likely source of the outbreak.
"However, I must reiterate that we are not discounting any line of enquiry and this is an on-going investigation."