A case of bird flu has been found on a duck-breeding farm in northern England, but the case is not the deadly H5N1 strain.
It comes after Dutch authorities yesterday said they had found a highly contagious strain of bird flu at a poultry farm in the centre of the country and had begun destroying 150,000 chickens.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in England has confirmed at least one case of the virus at the farm in the Driffield area of east Yorkshire.
However, it insisted the risk to public health is "very low", and said it is embarking on a cull of all poultry at the stricken farm.
DEFRA confirmed the outbreak it is investigating is the H5 virus, but said it is not the H5N1 strain, which has caused serious concern in recent years.
It added that laboratory test results are expected early this week.
A department spokeswoman said: "We have confirmed a case of avian flu on a duck breeding farm in Yorkshire - the public health risk is very low and there is no risk to the food chain.
"We are taking immediate and robust action which includes introducing a 10km restriction zone and culling all poultry on the farm to prevent any potential spread of infection.
"We have a strong track record of controlling and eliminating previous outbreaks of avian flu in the UK."
Bird flu, or avian flu, is an infectious viral illness that spreads among birds. In rare cases it can affect humans.
Officials believe the latest outbreak may be linked to Germany and the Netherlands.
The transport of poultry and eggs throughout the Netherlands was banned yesterday after an outbreak of bird flu was confirmed at a chicken farm in Hekendorp.
Meanwhile, Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney said the EU is putting restrictions in place to combat the spread of the disease, including protection and surveillance zones.
He urged flockowners to be vigilant and to follow the department's guidelines.
Mr Coveney said: "My Department has a full range of contingency plans in place and, should an outbreak occur, measures will be initiated immediately to prevent the spread of the disease.
"Avian Influenza is notifiable to the Department and it is a legal requirement to notify any unusual increase in mortalities or any suspicion of the disease to a veterinary practitioner and to the Department."
Egyptian woman dies of bird flu, second death in 2014
An Egyptian woman died today of H5N1 bird flu after coming into contact with infected birds,the second death from the disease this year, a health ministry spokesman.
Egypt has identified seven cases of the virus in people this year, including the two who died.
According to data from the World Health Organization, from 2003 through until October 2, 2014, there have been 668 laboratory-confirmed human cases of H5N1 infection officially reported from 16 countries.
Of these cases, 393 have died.
Egypt's health ministry had announced in an earlier statement the discovery of the disease in a 30-year-old woman in the southern area of Minya, bringing to seven the number of confirmed Egyptian cases of the disease.
Another of the victims was a three-year-old who had been exposed to infected birds and was doing well, it said.
The WHO warns that whenever bird flu viruses are circulating in poultry, there is a risk of sporadic infections or small clusters of human cases - especially in people exposed to infected birds or contaminated environments.
Human cases of H5N1 are rare, however, and the virus does not currently appear to transmit easily from person to person.
Egypt's H5N1 cases have largely been found in impoverished rural areas in the south of the country, where villagers, particularly women, tend to keep and slaughter poultry in the home.
