Veterinary authorities detect a new outbreak in the Vall d’Albaida region, just 12 kilometres from previous cases, triggering the immediate culling protocol and the establishment of new restriction zones.
VALENCIA, 20 January 2026 – The health alert in the Valencian poultry sector is intensifying following the official confirmation of the fifth Newcastle disease outbreak in the region. According to the update published on Tuesday, 20 January, by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA), the virus has been detected on a broiler farm located in the Vall d’Albaida region, province of Valencia.
This new case occurs just a few weeks after the disease re-emerged in Spain following three years of epidemiological silence. The first outbreak occurred in late December 2025 in the municipality of Llutxent (Valencia), on a farm of 15,000 chickens, breaking the disease-free status that Spain had maintained since 2022.
Details of the new outbreak
The outbreak has been identified on a farm with an approximate flock size of 75,000 broilers, located 12 kilometres from the outbreaks detected in late December and early January.
Alarms were raised after an increase in mortality was detected in one of the farm’s three sheds, which housed 30,000 birds. According to the official report, the farm had begun vaccinating against the disease just days earlier, but the birds did not have sufficient time to develop the necessary protective immunity. The Central Veterinary Laboratory of Algete has confirmed that the strain involved is a velogenic (highly virulent) strain of the virus.
The source of the infection is currently under investigation, although the farm shares an integrator with 2 of the previously identified outbreaks. According to industry sources, all farms with broilers under 30 days of age in the area that had not yet been vaccinated are being vaccinated against Newcastle disease, and the dispatch to slaughter of broilers older than 30 days is being encouraged.
Immediate containment measures
In accordance with current regulations, the Official Veterinary Services of the Generalitat Valenciana have ordered the immediate culling of the farm’s entire flock (75,000 birds), as well as the destruction of carcasses, feed, and risk materials.
A new security zoning has been established:
- Protection zone (3 km): Does not include any other commercial farms.
- Surveillance zone (10 km): Covers 13 commercial holdings, of which 6 were already under surveillance due to previous outbreaks.
Five outbreaks in one month after three years without a single case in Spain.
This is the fifth consecutive blow to the Valencian poultry industry in less than a month, confirming the worsening health situation in the area:
- The origin (Outbreak 1): The disease re-emerged in Spain in late December 2025 in the municipality of Llutxent (Valencia), on a farm of 15,000 chickens, breaking the disease-free status that Spain had maintained since 2022.
- The spread (Outbreaks 2, 3 and 4): On 2 January 2026, three new secondary outbreaks were confirmed in the same municipality, affecting farms with flocks of 28,500, 16,500 and 20,100 birds. The investigation pointed to geographical proximity and links between owners as transmission factors.
With this fifth case, the authorities are stressing the urgent need to strengthen biosecurity on all poultry farms and to maintain strict passive surveillance to halt the spread of the virus.
For further information:
-. Newcastle disease fact sheet (MAPA)
-. National Newcastle Surveillance Programme 2025.
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