| New update Friday July 3 at 11:00 PM |
| The MAPA has confirmed two new outbreaks in chicken farms close to the previous outbreaks. The first affected farm has 31,100 chickens, and is located in Íscar and the second 25,242 broilers, located in Cogeces del Monte. Both municipalities are in Valladolid. With these two new cases, the total number of outbreaks in 2026 rises to 21 outbreaks (10 in Valencia and 11 in Valladolid) with a total impact of 1,108,219 farm birds (638,973 laying hens and 469,246 chickens) |
In red, location of the two new Newcastle outbreaks, on two farms of 31,100 and 25,241 chickens.
In orange, previously confirmed outbreaks.
Source: MAPA
AVIAN HEALTH · NEWCASTLE ALERT · UPDATE JULY 1, 2026
Three new outbreaks in Valladolid, reported on July 1, bring the total to 19 outbreaks and exceed one million affected birds in census for the first time. Castilla y León now equals the Valencian Community in number of outbreaks.
Three new outbreaks in Valladolid exceed one million affected birds
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) reported on July 1 three new outbreaks of Newcastle disease in the province of Valladolid: a laying hen farm in Íscar (141,592 birds, vaccinated), a broiler farm in San Vicente del Palacio (40,000 birds, unvaccinated) and another broiler farm in Cogeces del Monte (119,604 birds, vaccinated). In all three cases, the Central Veterinary Laboratory of Algete confirmed by PCR a velogenic strain of the virus, of genotype VII.2. With these, Castilla y León now totals 9 outbreaks (to which must be added the 10 previous outbreaks in Valencia).
The balance of the wave that began in December 2025 thus rises to 19 outbreaks and 1,051,877 birds in affected census: 638,973 laying hens (61%) and 412,904 broiler chickens (39%). It should be noted, for accuracy, that this figure represents the census of the farms where the virus has been confirmed —farms that, being a category A disease, are entirely subjected to sanitary vacancy— not the number of birds that have died from the disease itself.
Seven months after reappearing,
Newcastle disease surpasses one million affected census birds in Spain and (for now) splits the blow between two regions and two different genotypes.
From “almost free” country to an open front in two regions
Spain had maintained Newcastle disease-free country status since 2022, and before that isolated outbreak, had gone more than a decade with barely any cases. The reappearance in Llutxent (Valencia) in December 2025 broke that calm (“Newcastle disease reappears in Spain after three years without a single case”). Today the virus maintains two fronts with no epidemiological link between them: the Valencia Community front (10 outbreaks, genotype VII.1.1), now in principle closed, and the open front in Valladolid (9 outbreaks, genotype VII.2), as confirmed by sequencing from the Algete LCV (Central Veterinary Laboratory).
The three new outbreaks of July 1, 2026, one by one
| Outbreak | Municipality (Valladolid) | Type | Census | Vaccin. | Detection |
| 17 | Íscar | Layers | 141,592 | Yes | Detected through active surveillance; no clinical symptoms |
| 18 | San Vicente del Palacio | Broilers | 40,000 | No | 19% mortality increase in the census |
| 19 | Cogeces del Monte | Broilers | 119,604 | Yes | 1% mortality increase in the census |
| Total three new outbreaks | 301,196 | All VII.2 · velogenic strain | |||
Source: MAPA / Junta de Castilla y León, notice of July 1, 2026. Approximate census figures.
The updated balance as of July 1, 2026
| Item | Outbreaks | Birds (census) |
| Valencia Community (VII.1.1) | 10 | 299,340 |
| Castilla y León / Valladolid (VII.2) | 9 | 752,537 |
| Layers affected (*) | — | 638,973 |
| Broilers affected (*) | — | 412,904 |
| Outbreaks on vaccinated farms | 10 | — |
| TOTAL | 19 | 1,051,877 |
Source: NeXusAvicultura, based on official data from MAPA and RASVE. Updated as of July 1, 2026.
(*) By “affected birds” is always understood the census of confirmed farms —which, being a category A disease, go entirely into sanitary void—, not birds killed by the disease itself. .
Vaccination: should we revise vaccine antibody levels upward?
Since Newcastle Disease is a classic “textbook” pathology and European poultry farming has gone so many years without it, protection measures had relaxed, both in the number of vaccinations and, probably most importantly, antibody titers.
On the other hand, and without detracting from also reviewing the actual implementation of biosecurity, it should be remembered that in the case of laying hens, extending the useful life of laying hens from 60-70 to 100 weeks should require adjusting Newcastle vaccination plans in order to provide effective protection until their last day on the farm.
My final thought, especially in egg-laying poultry farming, is that it should be thoroughly reviewed not only whether vaccination has taken place and how many times, but the antibody level achieved, since it is more than likely that vaccine titers should be revised upward rather than waiting for the perfect storm to arrive this fall, combining Newcastle with environmental pressure from an Influenza that has already become endemic.
Federico Castelló
Founder and Director of NeXusAvicultura
Timeline of Newcastle outbreaks in Spain:
After more than three years (since 2022) without any Newcastle case in Spain, the situation has become complicated since the resurgence of this disease in December 2025 in Valencia. This is the list of outbreaks updated as of July 3, 2026:
- The origin (Outbreak 1): The disease reappeared in Spain at the end of December 2025 in the municipality of Llutxent (Valencia), on a farm of 15,000 chickens, breaking the disease-free country status that Spain had maintained since 2022.
- The expansion (Outbreaks 2, 3, and 4): On January 2, 2026, three new secondary outbreaks were confirmed in the same municipality, affecting farms with censuses of 28,500, 16,500, and 20,100 birds. The investigation pointed to geographic proximity and links between owners as transmission factors.
- The fifth case (January 20, 2026) on a farm of 75,000 broilers.
- Sixth outbreak (March 9, 2026) in Terrateig, affecting a single house of 27,000 hens in a poultry complex.
- Seventh outbreak (April 9, 2026) on a farm with 26,300 broilers and eighth outbreak (April 10, 2026) on a farm with 32,000 laying hens. Both in Ráfol de Salem.
- Ninth outbreak (April 28, 2026) on a farm with 38,900 broilers in Ráfol de Salem.
- Tenth outbreak (May 8, 2026) on a farm with 20,040 laying hens in Castelló de Rugat (official statement).
- Eleventh outbreak (June 15, 2026) on a farm with 24,000 broilers aged 43 days in Aldea de San Miguel, Valladolid (official statement).
- Outbreaks 12, 13, 14, and 15 on June 22, 2026 in Valladolid affect a total of 117,150 laying hens and 9,000 broilers.
- Outbreak number 16 on June 30, 2026 in Olmedo (Valladolid) affects a farm with 300,000 laying hens (official statement).
- Outbreaks 17, 18, and 19 on July 1, 2026 have affected a total of 301,196 birds (141,592 laying hens on the farm in Íscar, plus 40,000 chickens in San Vicente del Palacio and another 119,605 broilers in Cogeces del Campo) (official statement of July 1).
- Outbreaks 20 and 21 from July 3, 2026 have affected a farm of 31,100 chickens in Íscar, and another one with 25,242 broilers in Cogeces del Campo) (official statement of July 3).
To learn more:
-. What is Newcastle Disease?
-. National Newcastle Surveillance Program 2026. (14-page MAPA PDF published in May 2025)
-. MAPA’s main page on Newcastle Disease Control
-. Newcastle Disease on NeXusAvicultura
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