WIREDGOV

Overview of current bluetongue cases, risk level, vaccinations and restrictions.

Contents:

• Total number of cases
• Latest updates
• Risk level
• Control zones
• Moving animals and animal products
• Vaccination and biosecurity
• Livestock identification and movement rules
• Importing animals and animal products
• Webinars, leaflets, videos and posters
• Defra’s bluetongue control strategy

Be vigilant for signs of bluetongue and report it if you suspect it.

Total number of cases

There have been 284 cases of bluetongue in Great Britain in the 2025 bluetongue season (since July 2025). In:

• England, there have been 263 cases of bluetongue - including 255 cases of only BTV-3, 1 case of only BTV-8 and 7 cases with both BTV-3 and BTV-8
• Wales, there have been 21 cases of BTV-3

There have been no cases in Scotland.

The location of all premises in Great Britain where one or more animals have tested positive by PCR for bluetongue serotype 3, serotype 8 or serotype 12 is available on the bluetongue case map.

There are 4 confirmed cases of BTV-3 in Northern Ireland.

Latest updates

30 January 2026

One new case of BTV-3 in England was confirmed on 30 January 2026 following a report of suspicious clinical signs:

• 1 aborted foetus in Devon

One new case of BTV-3 in England was confirmed on 30 January 2026 following non-negative results from private tests:

• 1 bovine in Cumbria tested as part of artificial breeding controls

29 January 2026

One new case of BTV-3 in England was confirmed on 29 January 2026 following a report of suspicious clinical signs:

• 1 five-day old calf with brain malformation

27 January 2026

One new case of BTV-3 in England was confirmed on 27 January 2026 following a report of suspicious clinical signs:

• 2 calves in West Sussex with severe congenital problems, including blindness, circling and inability to drink.

Three new cases of BTV-3 in England were confirmed on 27 January 2026 following non-negative results from private tests:

• 1 bovine in East Sussex
• 2 cattle in Greater London
• 1 bovine in Shropshire tested following herd milk drop and abortions

22 January 2026

One new case of BTV-3 in England was confirmed on 22 January 2026 following a report of suspicious clinical signs:

• 2 bovines in Cheshire with ulcers on nose, swollen muzzle, off-colour and lameness

20 January 2026

One new case of BTV-3 in England was confirmed on 20 January 2026 following non-negative results from a private test:

• 1 bull in Kent tested prior to semen collection

19 January 2026

One new case of BTV-3 in England was confirmed on 19 January 2026 following a report of suspicious clinical signs:

• 3 cows in Staffordshire following recent increase in abortions in the herd

One new case of BTV-3 in England was confirmed on 19 January 2026 following non-negative results from a private test:

• 1 bovine in Lancashire

16 January 2026

One new case of BTV-3 in England was confirmed on 16 January 2026 following a report of suspicious clinical signs:

• 1 aborted calf in Derbyshire

12 January 2026

One new case of BTV-3 in England was confirmed on 12 January 2026 following non-negative results from a private test:

• 5 cattle in Kent

9 January 2026

One new case of BTV-3 in England was confirmed on 9 January 2026 following non-negative results from a private test:

• 1 cow in Devon tested as part of screening prior to collection of embryos

7 January 2026

One new case of BTV-3 in England was confirmed on 7 January 2026 following a report of suspicious clinical signs:

• 1 cow in Cheshire which had aborted and 1 aborted calf from a different cow.

6 January 2026

Two new cases of BTV-3 in England were confirmed on 6 January 2026 following a report of suspicious clinical signs:

• 1 cow in Devon with diarrhoea, milk drop, drooling and swollen head
• 2 cows in Cornwall both of which aborted

5 January 2026

One new case of BTV-3 in England was confirmed on 5 January 2026 following a report of suspicious clinical signs:

• 1 cow in Devon with clinical signs including abortion

23 December 2025

Two new cases of BTV-3 in England were confirmed on 23 December 2025 following routine bluetongue surveillance:

• 3 cattle in East Sussex
• 4 cattle in Kent

Risk level

Temperatures have continued to reduce in recent weeks, and experts consider the risk of onward spread by vectors in the south-east, East Anglia, the south-west and the north-east to be negligible. There is however still a risk that animals can get infected from already infected midges or from infected germinal products.

The risk of incursion of bluetongue virus (including serotypes not currently circulating in England) from all routes remains at medium (occurs regularly) although the risk of airborne incursion is now negligible.

Control zones

Check if you’re in a zone on the bluetongue zone map.

Read the details of each zone.

Wales: country-wide restricted zone from 10 November

An all-Wales restricted zone was introduced from 00:01am on 10 November 2025. This has the following effects:

• end of temporary control zone – the temporary control zone and its restrictions have ended
• end of premises-level restrictions – individual premises across Wales are no longer subject to bluetongue-specific movement or control restrictions
• free movement of livestock – livestock movements between England and Wales no longer require bluetongue vaccination or mitigation measures
• continued restrictions on germinal products – you must continue to test donor animals before freezing and marketing germinal products, as this provides quality assurance and reduces the risk of longer-term bluetongue transmission

England: country-wide restricted zone

The whole of England is in a bluetongue restricted zone. You can move animals within England without a specific bluetongue licence or pre-movement testing.

You need a specific licence to freeze germinal products (semen, ova and embryo) anywhere in England and testing is required. Keepers are responsible for the cost of sampling, postage and testing. There is more detail in the declaration.

Moving animals and animal products

Find out about:

• moving animals within the restricted zone
• general licences to move animals and germinal product from the restricted zone to Scotland or Wales
• moving, freezing and storing germinal product
• moving certain animals from Northern Ireland to Great Britain

Vaccination and biosecurity

Find out about:

• BTV-3 vaccination
• how to slow the spread of bluetongue

Livestock identification and movement rules

Find out about:

• keeping cattle, bison and buffalo in England and Wales
• keeping sheep and goats in England
• keeping deer in England: tagging, movement and record keeping rules

Contact the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) if you keep camelids (such as llamas or alpacas) or you’re unsure about the rules.

Importing animals and animal products

Check the rules on imports, exports and EU trade of animals and animal products.

Webinars, leaflets, videos and posters

Watch recordings of bluetongue webinars.

Find leaflets, videos and posters about bluetongue.

Defra’s bluetongue control strategy

Defra controls cases of bluetongue by following the Bluetongue: disease control framework in England.

Historical cases

The first cases of bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3) of the 2025 to 2026 vector season was confirmed on 11 July 2025.

Prior to this Defra confirmed 160 BTV-3 cases in England and 2 from high risk moves in Wales between 26 August 2024 and 31 May 2025. One case of bluetongue virus serotype 12 (BTV-12) was confirmed in England on 7 February 2025 Giving a total of 163 cases.

Between November 2023 and March 2024 Defra confirmed 126 BTV-3 cases in England on 73 premises (119 cattle and 7 sheep). These BTV-3 cases were the first UK BTV incursions for over 15 years.  Prior to these cases the last confirmed outbreak of bluetongue was an outbreak of bluetongue virus serotype 8 (BTV-8), which took place over 2007 to 2008.