What information did Defra know and when about poultry imports from Hungary?
We were aware of regular consignments from Hungary in compliance with EU intra-community trade legislation. Our understanding was that they came from uninfected parts of the country. Test results have revealed that the strain of the virus found in the turkeys may be identical to the strain found in Hungary. In addition yesterday (Thursday) new information from the laboratories came to light which revealed that the transmission for the virus is poultry to poultry. This makes transmission direct from Hungary more likely, rather than a pathway via wild birds, hence the announcement today of our investigation yesterday.
