LONDON, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- Britain's bird flu outbreak in Suffolk was "most likely" due to the import of poultry products from Hungary, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said on Friday.

    "Currently the most plausible route of transmission is associated with the importation of poultry products via Hungary," DEFRA said in its interim epidemiological report which traced the source of the outbreak.

    The department said that there was "little evidence" of wild birds spreading the disease to Suffolk.

    It said wild birds were unlikely to be the source of the outbreak as the H5N1 virus had not been found in such birds since last August, and surveillance at the Bernard Matthews poultry farm at Holton, Suffolk, had failed to find any infected animals.

    Britain's Veterinary Laboratories Agency has confirmed that the virus strain found in the poultry in Suffolk is "essentially identical" to that which caused the outbreaks in Hungary.

    "We are yet to reach a final conclusion and our investigation will continue to be all-embracing regarding possible means of introduction of the virus. We may never be able to conclusively pinpoint the original source of the virus," Fred Landeg, Britain's deputy chief vet, said at a press briefing

    A separate report by DEFRA and other British food safety agencies found that all food processing and importing at the plant was in line with European Union regulations.

    Properly cooked poultry meat remained safe to eat, the British Food Standards Agency (FSA) declared.

    A protection zone, a surveillance zone and a wider restriction zone, including Suffolk, were still in place, DEFRA said.

    Bans on organized bird gatherings in non-restricted parts of England had been lifted but the requirement to house domestic birds within the zones would remain in place, it added.

    Bernard Matthews, Europe's leading turkey producer, has lifted a voluntary ban on poultry movement to and from Hungary, which was imposed on February 8 due to concerns over the outbreak at its Suffolk plant.

    Bird flu was found at the Holton plant on February 3. Some Bernard Matthews turkey products have already been cleared by the FSA to be released for sale.