Defra's latest GOV.UK update states that Great Britain has recorded 343 bluetongue cases in the 2025 to 2026 season, counted from 1 July 2025. England accounts for 321 cases, made up of 308 BTV-3 cases, 5 BTV-8 cases, 7 cases involving both BTV-3 and BTV-8, and 1 case where the serotype is unknown. Wales has recorded 24 BTV-3 cases, while Scotland has recorded none. The same Defra update points readers to a case map showing premises in Great Britain where one or more animals have tested positive by PCR for BTV-3, BTV-8 or BTV-12. Separately, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland has confirmed 5 BTV-3 cases there.
Recent confirmations show that detections are still arising through both clinical suspicion and breeding-related testing. Defra confirmed a new BTV-8 case in England on 30 May 2026 after a three-week-old calf born with neurological signs tested positive and later died. On 29 May 2026, a cow in Shropshire tested positive for BTV-3 after samples were taken during embryo transfer work, and a separate cow in South Yorkshire tested positive following a sudden milk drop on a site where other cattle were aborting and calving prematurely. Defra also confirmed a BTV-3 case in Ceredigion on 28 May 2026 after the birth of a dummy calf; the calf tested positive as well. Earlier in May, England recorded one suckler cow after a late-term abortion on 22 May, with the serotype not determined, two cows testing positive after late-term abortions on 8 May, a stillborn calf in Cumbria with brain deformities on 1 May, and an aborted calf in Cumbria with brain deformities, an enlarged spleen and liver damage on 30 April. Several of the most recent detections were therefore linked to abortion, stillbirth or neurological signs rather than routine screening alone.
Defra says the seasonal risk has increased. Midges capable of spreading bluetongue became active again on 31 March 2026, and expert advice now states that cumulative temperatures are high enough for the virus to develop inside the insect vector, making onward transmission possible. The department also notes that animals can become infected through germinal products, including semen, ova and embryos. The department's risk assessment also takes account of conditions in nearby continental Europe, where temperatures are now high enough in many areas for infected midges to complete the extrinsic incubation period, the stage at which the virus has developed enough inside the midge for onward spread. Defra therefore rates the overall risk of incursion from all routes as medium, meaning it occurs regularly, while assessing the specific risk of airborne incursion as negligible.
Control measures remain broad. According to Defra, all of England is now within a bluetongue restricted zone. The practical effect for most keepers is that animals can move within England without a specific bluetongue licence and without pre-movement testing. Wales is also operating under an all-Wales restricted zone, introduced at 00:01 on 10 November 2025 under Welsh Government guidance. That has removed the earlier need for bluetongue vaccination or other mitigation for livestock moving between England and Wales. The position is tighter for breeding material: in England, a specific licence and testing are required to freeze semen, ova or embryos anywhere in the country, with sampling, postage and laboratory costs falling to keepers; in Wales, donor animals must still be tested before germinal products are frozen and marketed.
Movement policy is therefore split between ordinary livestock traffic and higher-risk channels. Defra's published guidance covers movement within the restricted zone, general licences for certain moves from the restricted zone to Scotland or Wales, and the rules for moving, freezing and storing germinal products. In Northern Ireland, DAERA has also published arrangements allowing some animal movements to Great Britain under licence following the outbreak position there. The compliance burden does not end with disease controls. Separate livestock identification and movement rules still apply to cattle, bison and buffalo, sheep and goats, and deer. The Animal and Plant Health Agency advises camelid keepers, including llama and alpaca keepers, to make direct contact where the rules are unclear.
On prevention, Defra directs keepers to specific guidance on BTV-3 vaccination and to general biosecurity advice aimed at slowing spread. That means vaccination planning, reducing exposure to midges and managing movements sit within the same control plan. There is also a trade dimension. GOV.UK guidance tells importers and exporters to check the current rules for imports, exports and EU trade in animals and animal products, while Defra has also published webinars, leaflets, videos and posters to support farm-level decision-making. The legal and operational basis for England's response remains the Bluetongue: disease control framework in England.
The present restrictions sit within a longer cycle of cases. Defra says the first BTV-3 case of the 2025 to 2026 vector season was confirmed on 11 July 2025. Before that, the department had confirmed 160 BTV-3 cases in England and 2 cases linked to high-risk moves in Wales between 26 August 2024 and 31 May 2025, alongside 1 BTV-12 case in England on 7 February 2025, giving a total of 163 cases for that earlier period. The recent history is important for policy planning. Between November 2023 and March 2024, Defra confirmed 126 BTV-3 cases in England across 73 premises, covering 119 cattle and 7 sheep. Those were the first UK BTV incursions for more than 15 years. The previous confirmed national outbreak was BTV-8 in 2007 and 2008. Taken together, the current position shows a move towards whole-country restricted zones in England and Wales, while licensing, testing and breeding controls remain the main intervention points for higher-risk activity.