Bluetongue: latest situation

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

Total number of cases

There have been 325 cases of bluetongue in Great Britain in the 2025 to 2026 bluetongue season (since 1 July 2025). In:

• England, there have been 303 cases of bluetongue – including 293 cases of only BTV-3, 3 cases of only BTV-8 and 7 cases with both BTV-3 and BTV-8
• Wales, there have been 22 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 5 confirmed cases of BTV-3 in Northern Ireland.

Latest updates

20 March 2026

3 new cases of BTV-3 in England were confirmed on 20 March 2026 following a report of suspicious clinical signs:

• 2 calves in Hampshire.  Both calves had neurological signs including star gazing and head tilt
• 2 cows in Cumbria. Tested following reports of decreased fertility and birth of a blind calf
• 1 calf in Staffordshire born dull.  It is small and weak and has failed to adapt

19 March 2026

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

• 1 calf in Kent born with head and neck malformation and blindness.  Calf had crusty lesions around muzzle and failed to thrive

One new case of BTV-8 in England was confirmed on 19 March 2026 following a report of suspicious clinical signs:

• 1 calf in Cornwall born with neurological signs, involuntary eye movement  and discolouration around the muzzle

9 March 2026

Two new cases of BTV-3 in England were confirmed on 9 March 2026 following a report of suspicious clinical signs:

• 1 calf in Devon born with neurological signs, calf is unwilling to suck and has slight discolouration of nose
• 1 calf in Cheshire born with neurological signs and 1 cow (dam of the calf) tested positive

6 March 2026

One new case of BTV-8 in England was confirmed on 6 March 2026 following private testing:

• 1 bull in Cornwall tested positive for BTV-8 following private testing post semen collection

5 March 2026

Two new cases of BTV-3 in England were confirmed on 5 March 2026 following a report of suspicious clinical signs:

• 1 calf in Cornwall born blind and with neurological signs – several other calves with similar clinical signs were not tested
• 2 calves in Cornwall born with neurological signs and 1 cow (dam of the twin calves) tested positive

4 March 2026

One new case of BTV-3 in England was confirmed on 4 March 2026 following a report of suspicious clinical signs:

• 4 bovines in Devon including 3 cows and the calf of one of the cows following fertility issues and abortions in the herd

One new case of BTV-3 in England was confirmed on 4 March 2026 following private testing:

• 2 barren cows in Devon tested positive following private testing

3 March 2026

Three new cases of BTV-3 in England were confirmed on 3 March 2026 following reports of suspicious clinical signs:

• 1 calf in Cumbria with brain cavitation on postmortem
• 1 cow tested following the birth of its calf in Staffordshire born with lesions on tongue
• 1 newborn calf in Devon born with no brain tissue and 2 cows (one was the calf’s dam)

One new case of BTV-3 in England was confirmed on 3 March 2026 following private testing:

• 1 cow in Oxfordshire tested positive following private testing post oocyte collection

27 February 2026

Two new cases of BTV-3 in England were confirmed on 27 February 2026 following a report of suspicious clinical signs:

• 1 8-month term bovine in Staffordshire
• 1 newborn calf in Staffordshire born blind with neurological signs and 1 cow (the calf’s dam)

One new case of BTV-3 in England was confirmed on 27 February 2026 following private testing:

• 1 bovine in Cumbria tested positive following private testing

26 February 2026

Two new cases of BTV-3 in England were confirmed on 26 February 2026 following a report of suspicious clinical signs:

• 1 newborn calf in Devon born with neurological signs and jaundice
• 1 newborn calf in West Sussex born with neurological signs, domed head and swelling of legs

25 February 2026

One new case of BTV-3 in England was confirmed on 25 February 2026 following a report of suspicious clinical signs:

• 1 bovine in Cornwall with swollen head and nasal discharge

24 February 2026

One new case of BTV-3 in England was confirmed on 24 February 2026 following private testing:

• 1 bovine in Derbyshire tested positive following private testing

23 February 2026

Two new cases of BTV-3 in England were confirmed on 23 February 2026 following private testing:

• 1 sheep in East Sussex tested positive following private testing
• 2 rewilded bovines in Kent tested positive following private testing

One new case of BTV-3 in England was confirmed on 24 February 2026 following a report of suspicious clinical signs:

• 1 aborted calf in Nottinghamshire tested positive following finding of abnormal brain development at postmortem examination

Risk level

Temperatures remain low, and experts consider the risk of onward spread by vectors in England to be negligible. There is however still a risk that animals can get infected 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.

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.

Wales: country-wide restricted zone

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

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.