Defra has issued a late‑season bluetongue update confirming 194 cases across Great Britain since July 2025. England accounts for 181 cases, comprising 175 serotype BTV‑3, one BTV‑8 and five co‑infections with BTV‑3 and BTV‑8. Wales has 13 BTV‑3 cases and Scotland has none. Locations of affected premises are published on Defra’s interactive case map.
Daily reporting from 10 to 14 November 2025 shows continued detection through multiple routes. On 14 November, two bovines with clinical signs were confirmed in Cheshire and Cornwall and one bovine in Bedfordshire followed private testing. Routine surveillance added seven incidents that day: one bovine in Devon; seven cattle in West Sussex; seven in Hampshire; two in East Sussex; two more in Devon; one in Dorset; and a further single case in Devon.
On 13 November, Defra recorded one clinically suspect bovine in Cornwall. Surveillance the same day identified three further incidents comprising five and eight cattle in separate Devon herds and six cattle in East Sussex. On 12 November, surveillance detected one bovine in West Sussex and four in East Sussex.
On 11 November, private testing confirmed two bovines in Staffordshire. Routine surveillance added seven cattle in East Sussex and single bovines in two separate Somerset herds. On 10 November, Defra also confirmed two bovines following reports of suspicious signs; a case on the Isle of Wight linked to poor fertility; one bovine in Cheshire via private testing; and one cow in Cheshire associated with collection of germinal products. A non‑negative pre‑movement test was listed involving one bovine associated with Derbyshire and Hampshire. Surveillance on the same day detected clusters of thirteen cattle in West Sussex, eight in Hampshire, eight in Devon and six in Hampshire.
Defra’s risk assessment reflects falling temperatures and reduced midge activity. The likelihood of onward spread by vectors in the south‑east, East Anglia, the south‑west and the north‑east is assessed as very low, meaning events are rare but cannot be excluded. The risk of incursion of bluetongue, including serotypes not currently circulating in England, remains medium, while the risk of airborne incursion is low. Infection from existing infected midges and from germinal products remains possible.
England remains under a country‑wide restricted zone. Movements of susceptible livestock wholly within England do not require a bluetongue‑specific licence or pre‑movement testing. By contrast, freezing semen, ova or embryos anywhere in England requires a specific licence and testing of donor animals before freezing. Keepers must meet the costs of sampling, postage and testing in line with the extended restricted zone declaration.
Wales introduced an all‑Wales restricted zone from 00:01 on 10 November 2025. This ended the temporary control zone and premises‑level bluetongue restrictions across Wales and allowed livestock movements between England and Wales without bluetongue vaccination or mitigation measures. Restrictions on germinal products continue, with donor testing required before freezing and marketing to provide quality assurance and reduce longer‑term transmission risk.
Movements from the restricted zone to Scotland or Wales are supported by general licences on GOV.UK. Conditions vary by destination and commodity. Keepers and hauliers should confirm the correct licence and any testing windows before planning consignments, particularly for semen, ova and embryos. Within the English restricted zone, routine trades and market movements can proceed without bluetongue‑specific licences provided statutory identification and record‑keeping obligations are met.
Vaccination guidance for BTV‑3 is available to keepers and veterinary practices. Defra also sets out biosecurity measures to slow spread, including reducing exposure to biting midges where practical and isolating animals with suspicious signs pending veterinary examination. Suspected disease must be reported without delay to the Animal and Plant Health Agency.
Livestock identification and movement rules continue to apply unchanged. GOV.UK provides detailed guidance on keeping cattle, bison and buffalo in England and Wales and on keeping sheep and goats and on tagging, movement and records for farmed deer in England. Camelid keepers should contact APHA directly if unclear about tagging or movement requirements.
For operators managing germinal products, practical planning is essential. Establish whether holdings fall within restricted zones using Defra’s mapping tools, schedule donor testing well ahead of collection and freezing, retain laboratory certificates with movement documentation and allow additional turnaround time for consignments that include semen, ova or embryos.
Defra continues to publish an interactive case map and a bluetongue zone map, alongside recorded webinars and printed materials. Case management follows the Bluetongue: disease control framework in England, with risk assessments reviewed regularly as the 2025 season progresses. Rules for imports, exports and EU trade of animals and animal products are also set out on GOV.UK. The operational emphasis remains on surveillance, prompt reporting and targeted controls on germinal products.