UK confirms first bluetongue cases of the 2025/2026 season

UK – The UK has recorded its first confirmed cases of bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3) for the 2025/2026 season, reigniting concerns across the livestock sector as a more aggressive strain of the disease begins to circulate once again.

On July 11, two cattle in Herefordshire tested positive for BTV-3 following a non-negative pre-movement test. That same day, a sheep in Oxfordshire showing clinical signs, hot, painful feet, reluctance to move, and general malaise, was confirmed infected. 

A further case was detected on July 12 in Buckinghamshire, where a sheep exhibited pyrexia, salivation, nasal discharge, and severe facial swelling. According to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the animal was “lethargic and unresponsive to treatment.”

These detections mark the first official cases of the new vector season in Great Britain and follow a major outbreak last year, during which 262 cases were confirmed across England and Wales. 

The UK had initially managed to contain BTV-3 when it was first detected in late 2023. However, a resurgence in autumn 2024 allowed the virus to spread more widely, facilitated by favourable weather conditions and a lack of herd immunity.

Bluetongue is a notifiable viral disease spread by Culicoides midges, tiny insects no larger than a pinhead that thrive in the UK’s increasingly wet and mild climate. 

The virus primarily affects ruminants such as sheep, cattle, goats, and deer, causing fever, facial swelling, mouth ulcers, nasal discharge, and reproductive complications. 

Although bluetongue poses no threat to human health and cannot be transmitted between animals directly, the disease inflicts significant suffering and economic losses in affected herds.

Sheep are especially vulnerable. Reports from English farms indicate that BTV-3 may be more virulent than earlier strains like BTV-8, which struck the UK in 2007. In some herds, up to 40% of cows failed to conceive. 

One Suffolk farm began calving with 25% of its cows not pregnant and ended the season with just 48 calves from 97 cows. Similar patterns have emerged in mainland Europe, where Belgium has reported reduced milk output, higher mortality in small ruminants, and a drop in calf births.

Nationwide restrictions and tools for farmers

The disease’s resurgence has prompted a national response. As of July 1, the entire territory of England has been designated a bluetongue restricted zone. 

This allows livestock to move freely within the country without pre-movement testing or specific licences, but it comes at the cost of tighter export rules. 

Animals from England, or those that have passed through it, are banned from attending this year’s Royal Welsh Show from July 21 to 24.

To help farmers navigate the shifting landscape, Ruminant Health & Welfare and AHDB have launched the Bluetongue Movements Checker, an interactive tool guiding movement permissions and licensing requirements across different regions.

In a further easing of controls, Wales introduced “red markets” from July 14. This allows animals from England’s restricted zone to be transported to designated Welsh slaughterhouses via approved livestock markets. 

Welsh Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies welcomed the decision, saying, “Following constructive discussions with industry representatives this week, I am pleased to confirm that the evidence now supports easing some of the current restrictions.”

As the midge-borne virus continues to evolve through genetic reassortment, essentially reshuffling its RNA into new variants, experts warn that climate change may increase the likelihood of future outbreaks. 

Milder winters and wetter summers are ideal breeding conditions for the biting midges that carry bluetongue, raising fears of wider geographic spread and more persistent circulation.

While there is no treatment for animals once infected, a vaccine exists—though access remains limited for BTV-3. 

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