Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) have set out the current position on bluetongue for the 2025 to 2026 vector season. As at 24 October 2025, Great Britain has recorded 130 confirmed cases since July 2025. The update consolidates case data, risk assessment and movement requirements for keepers, markets and local authorities, with continued advice to report suspect disease without delay.
For the season to date, England accounts for most detections: 122 cases of BTV‑3, two cases of BTV‑8, and one mixed finding where BTV‑3 and BTV‑8 were confirmed on the same premises. Wales has confirmed five BTV‑3 cases, while Scotland has reported none. Defra maintains a premises‑level case map for PCR‑positive detections of serotypes 3, 8 and 12 to support local situational awareness.
On 24 October 2025, several new findings were confirmed. One four‑month‑old calf in Cheshire tested positive for BTV‑3 following reports of clinical signs. Routine surveillance in Cornwall identified BTV‑3 in two separate cattle groups-six animals on one premises and two on another-and a further premises with seven cattle where six were BTV‑3 and one was BTV‑8. Within the Welsh temporary control zone, surveillance detected one infected bovine in Monmouthshire. Pre‑movement testing also led to confirmation of BTV‑3 in a bovine in Derbyshire and a bull in Shropshire.
On 17 October 2025, APHA confirmed one cow in East Sussex with BTV‑3 after clinical reporting. Non‑negative pre‑movement tests led to the confirmation of three infected cattle in Nottinghamshire and a separate infected bull in Cheshire.
On 16 October 2025, three dairy cows were confirmed with BTV‑3-two in Cornwall and one in Somerset-after clinical suspicions. The previous day, 15 October, four additional BTV‑3 cases linked to clinical signs were confirmed: one cow in Derbyshire, a calf and two cows in Cornwall, and a further bovine in Cornwall. A separate pre‑movement test on 15 October confirmed an infected bovine in Berkshire.
Earlier in the month, two clinically suspected cases were confirmed on 10 October 2025-a beef animal in Dorset and a cow in West Yorkshire. On 9 October, BTV‑3 was confirmed in a freshly calved suckler heifer in Cornwall and in a beef calf in Derbyshire.
Following confirmation of BTV‑3 at a premises in Monmouthshire, the Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales implemented a temporary control zone from 1 October 2025. Welsh Government guidance sets out controls and licence requirements for movements within and out of the zone. Keepers can check whether their holdings fall within a control zone via Defra’s bluetongue zone map.
In England, the bluetongue restricted zone has covered the whole country since 1 July 2025. Movements of susceptible animals within England can proceed without a specific bluetongue licence or pre‑movement testing under this declaration. Operators should continue to follow the published rules for farms, markets, agricultural shows and designated slaughterhouses.
Licensing remains in place for germinal products. Collecting or freezing semen, ova or embryos anywhere in England requires a specific licence and testing, with keepers responsible for sampling, postage and laboratory costs as set out in the declaration. Separate guidance applies to collection, storage and movement of germinal products.
Movements from England into Scotland or Wales are subject to additional controls. General licences are available for certain consignments of animals and germinal products moving from the English restricted zone to Scotland or Wales. Consignors must meet licence conditions in full before transport and retain documentation for inspection.
With temperatures decreasing, Defra assesses the current risk of onward spread by vectors as low in the south‑east, East Anglia, the south‑west and the north‑east. There remains a residual risk of infection from midges already carrying virus and from infected germinal products. The overall risk of incursion from all routes, including serotypes not currently circulating in England, remains medium.
Vaccination against BTV‑3 is available under GOV.UK guidance, alongside biosecurity advice to slow transmission. Keepers must continue to meet statutory identification and movement recording rules for cattle, sheep, goats and farmed deer. APHA can advise on requirements for camelids or where rules are uncertain. For trade, import and export conditions linked to BTV status are set out in the official guidance. Additional resources include recorded webinars, farm‑facing leaflets and posters, and Defra’s Bluetongue disease control framework for England, which underpins the operational response.