Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency's latest situation update, last updated on 24 July 2026, places the UK total for the 2026 to 2027 season at 24 confirmed BTV-3 cases since 1 July 2026. Of those, 21 are in England and 3 are in Wales, with no cases reported in Scotland or Northern Ireland. (gov.uk) The same government update says the first confirmed infection of the summer was identified in Staffordshire on 10 July 2026. Defra also says that where suspect clinical signs are reported it funds diagnostic testing for up to three affected animals, and that confirmed premises are published through the official bluetongue case map. (gov.uk)
Recent notifications show a heavy concentration in Devon and Somerset. Defra's entries for 16, 17, 20, 21, 22 and 23 July record BTV-3 in sheep and cattle, with reported signs including fever, drooling, nasal discharge, ulcers in the mouth, facial swelling, lameness and lethargy; some affected animals died. (gov.uk) The July chronology also includes a Cheshire report involving calves born blind and unable to stand properly, and a Devon cow with eye and teat inflammation. Taken together, the official log points to a mixed clinical picture across species rather than a single presentation that would be easy for keepers to identify in the field. (gov.uk)
In Wales, the three confirmed cases this season were recorded in the Vale of Glamorgan, Powys and Newport. Defra's update says one followed suspicious clinical signs, one was linked to embryo transfer testing and one arose from a private pre-movement test with no clinical signs observed. (gov.uk) That matters for disease control because the official record shows detection through both clinical suspicion and planned testing. For livestock businesses, the Welsh cases are a reminder that pre-movement checks and reproductive activity can produce findings even where outward signs are limited or absent. (gov.uk)
Defra's risk assessment says the midges that spread bluetongue became active again on 31 March 2026. Following recent warm weather, officials say cumulative temperatures are now high enough for the virus to develop inside the vector, meaning onward transmission is possible, while infection through semen, ova and embryos also remains relevant. (gov.uk) The same assessment says temperatures in parts of nearby continental Europe are also high enough for the virus to have developed inside midges there, raising concern that infected vectors in those areas may already be capable of transmission. Defra nevertheless keeps the overall risk of incursion from all routes at medium, while rating airborne incursion as negligible. (gov.uk)
On control measures, the government position is now straightforward: the whole of England is a bluetongue restricted zone. Defra says susceptible animals can still move within England without a specific bluetongue licence or pre-movement testing, which means the national restriction is being used to simplify internal movements rather than stop them altogether. (gov.uk) A tighter rule applies to germinal products. Defra says a specific licence and testing are required to freeze semen, ova and embryos anywhere in England, and that keepers must meet the cost of sampling, postage and laboratory testing. (gov.uk)
Wales remains under an all-Wales restricted zone introduced at 00:01 on 10 November 2025. According to the government summary, that allows free livestock movement between England and Wales without bluetongue vaccination or other mitigation measures, but donor animals still have to be tested before germinal products are frozen and marketed. (gov.uk) Scotland is operating a different threshold. The GOV.UK update says any movement of bluetongue-susceptible animals from a restricted zone in England, Wales, Northern Ireland or the Isle of Man to Scotland, including temporary movements for shows, markets and gatherings, must comply with general licence EXD608(EW); those controls took effect on 1 June 2026 and are due to remain in place until at least 9 September 2026. (gov.uk)
Defra continues to direct keepers towards its BTV-3 vaccination guidance and its biosecurity advice on slowing spread. The same page also brings together movement licences, livestock identification rules for cattle, sheep, goats and deer, and separate trade guidance covering imports, exports and EU movements of animals and animal products. (gov.uk) For farms, markets, hauliers and breeding units, the practical effect is administrative as much as veterinary. Records, route planning, licence checks, donor testing and species-specific movement rules now sit alongside clinical vigilance, while APHA remains the contact point for camelid keepers or others who are unsure which regime applies. (gov.uk)
The current season is building on two successive years of sustained official surveillance. Defra's historical data show 348 cases in Great Britain during the 2025 to 2026 season, comprising 324 cases in England and 24 in Wales, with no Scottish cases; the same page also points to 5 confirmed BTV-3 cases in Northern Ireland over that period. (gov.uk) Earlier records show 163 cases in 2024 to 2025, including one BTV-12 case in England, and 126 BTV-3 cases on 73 English premises between November 2023 and March 2024, described by Defra as the first UK BTV incursions for more than 15 years. Defra says case management continues under the Bluetongue disease control framework in England, which means the current rules are part of an established containment system rather than an ad hoc response. (gov.uk)