Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency updated the national bluetongue position on 20 July 2026. Since the start of the 2026-27 season on 1 July 2026, officials have recorded 12 BTV-3 cases in England and one in Wales, with no cases reported in Scotland or Northern Ireland. Defra also says it will fund diagnostic testing for up to three affected animals where suspect clinical signs are reported. (gov.uk) In practice, the latest GOV.UK notice works as more than a case bulletin. It brings together confirmed cases, risk status, vaccination signposting and movement controls, which are the rules most likely to affect keepers, vets and markets day to day. (gov.uk)
Recent confirmations show a clear concentration in the South West. Defra’s 20 July entry added new cases in Devon and Somerset, following earlier confirmations on 16 and 17 July in Somerset, Devon and the Vale of Glamorgan, and earlier July detections in Cheshire, Devon and Staffordshire. The published case notes describe sheep with salivation, lameness, swelling, fever and loss of condition, alongside cattle cases involving mouth lesions, eye inflammation and congenital problems in calves. (gov.uk) That pattern matters for surveillance. The case summaries show Defra identifying infection both through obvious clinical presentation and through reproductive or congenital signs, so herd and flock managers may need to look beyond the classic mouth and foot symptoms when deciding whether to contact their vet or APHA. This is an inference based on the mix of case reports published by Defra. (gov.uk)
According to Defra, the seasonal risk has increased because the midges that spread bluetongue became active again on 31 March 2026 and recent warm weather means temperatures are now high enough for the virus to develop inside the vector. Defra says onward transmission is now possible, and it notes that infection can also pass through germinal products such as semen, ova and embryos. (gov.uk) Defra also flags a separate cross-Channel concern. Temperatures in parts of nearby continental Europe are now high enough for newly infected midges to have become infectious, and the department says the risk from midges blown across the Channel has increased. Even so, its formal assessment keeps the overall risk of incursion from all routes at medium, while rating airborne incursion as negligible. (gov.uk)
For keepers in England, the key rule remains unchanged: the whole of England is in a bluetongue restricted zone, but animals can still move within England without a specific bluetongue licence or pre-movement testing. The main exception in Defra’s latest notice concerns germinal products, where a specific licence is required to freeze semen, ova or embryos anywhere in England and testing costs fall to the keeper. (gov.uk) In Wales, the position is similar for ordinary livestock movements. The Welsh Government’s all-Wales restricted zone has been in force since 00:01 on 10 November 2025, and GOV.WALES says movements within Wales do not need a specific licence or pre-movement tests. Defra’s cross-border summary adds that livestock movements between England and Wales no longer require bluetongue vaccination or other mitigation measures, although donor animals for germinal products must still be tested before freezing and marketing. (gov.wales)
The Scottish border is where the regime becomes more demanding. Defra states that movements of bluetongue-susceptible animals from a restricted zone into Scotland must comply with general licence EXD608(EW), with controls in force from 1 June 2026 until at least 9 September 2026. Scottish Government guidance adds that this is the active-season control period and that PCR testing within seven days of movement applies to sheep, goats, camelids and other ruminants moving to live in Scotland. (gov.uk) There is, however, a vaccination route for some cattle. The EXD608(EW) licence says cattle vaccinated with Bultavo-3 can move to Scotland without PCR or ELISA testing if the licence conditions are met, including the required interval after the second dose and evidence in the movement paperwork. For most keepers, the practical point is simple: free movement inside England or between England and Wales does not mean free movement into Scotland. (gov.uk)
Defra’s operational advice remains to report suspicion promptly and to use the government’s case map, zone map and vaccination guidance as the first reference points. The latest page also directs keepers to movement guidance, livestock identification rules, import and export rules, and biosecurity material intended to slow spread during the midge season. (gov.uk) One technical point will matter to producers reviewing their contingency plans. GOV.UK reporting guidance says a confirmed BTV-3 result does not itself trigger premises and animal restrictions on a holding, although other serotypes may lead to restrictions and further controls. APHA is also the point of contact for camelid keepers, or for anyone uncertain about which movement rules apply to their animals. (gov.uk)
The historical data in Defra’s update shows why this season is being managed through standing controls rather than emergency local measures alone. Great Britain recorded 348 bluetongue cases in the 2025-26 season, comprising 324 in England and 24 in Wales, while Scotland had none; Northern Ireland separately recorded five confirmed BTV-3 cases. Defra also reports 163 cases in the 2024-25 season and 126 BTV-3 cases on 73 premises between November 2023 and March 2024. (gov.uk) Taken together, those figures help explain the policy choice now in force across much of the UK: broad restricted-zone rules, targeted licensing and a heavier focus on vaccination, movement compliance and early reporting. For farmers, marts, hauliers and breeding businesses, the immediate task is not only disease recognition but documentary compliance with the relevant cross-border rules. This final point is an inference drawn from the control framework and current licensing arrangements. (gov.uk)