The European Commission has adopted new protective measures in order to contain an outbreak of bird flu on Dutch and British farms.

The measures included killing farmed birds and bans on poultry product sales in the infected areas.

Health officials believe that a species of wild swans might be carrying the disease.

“These birds are migratory birds which are wild so we don’t know if this flu can diffuse in other countries. But with these measures we are sure that this won’t spread around in Europe,” explained Enrico Brivio, European Commission for Health and Food Safety spokesperson.

Bird flu was also detected in Germany earlier this month but authorities have yet to confirm whether there is a link between the German, Dutch and British outbreaks.

The H5N8 strain is deadly to birds and can potentially be transmitted to humans, though health officials stressed that there risk remains low.