Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency have confirmed the first bluetongue case of the 2026 to 2027 season in England. The case, confirmed on 10 July 2026, involved a ewe in Staffordshire showing head swelling, drooling, crusty nostrils and lameness in all four feet. GOV.UK states that this is the first confirmed infection of summer 2026, and that the season count since 1 July 2026 now stands at one case in England, with no cases recorded this season in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. (gov.uk) That seasonal framing matters. Defra's update places three clinically suspicious BTV-3 cases in England on 3 June, 9 June and 23 June 2026 in the closing weeks of the 2025 to 2026 season, including calves in Staffordshire and Lancashire with blindness or neurological signs. The 10 July confirmation is therefore the first case of the new season, not the first case seen in 2026. (gov.uk)
Risk policy has now moved into the vector-active period. Defra says the midges that spread bluetongue became active again on 31 March 2026, and recent warm weather has pushed cumulative temperatures high enough for the virus to develop inside the insects, making onward transmission possible. The department also notes that animals can be infected through germinal products such as semen, ova and embryos. (gov.uk) Defra further reports that temperatures in nearby continental Europe are now sufficient for virus development inside midges there, increasing the chance that infectious vectors are present close to the UK. Its formal assessment nonetheless keeps the overall risk of incursion, including serotypes not currently circulating in England, at medium, while describing airborne incursion as negligible. For keepers and processors, that means the summer controls remain precautionary even with only one confirmed case in the new season. (gov.uk)
The regulatory map remains broad. GOV.UK says the whole of England is in a bluetongue restricted zone, which means animals can move within England without a specific bluetongue licence or pre-movement test. The main exception is reproductive material: freezing semen, ova or embryos anywhere in England still requires a specific licence and testing, with sampling, postage and laboratory costs falling to the keeper. (gov.uk) In Wales, the Welsh Government says a country-wide restricted zone has been in place since 00:01 on 10 November 2025. Animals can move within Wales without a specific licence or pre-movement test, and Defra's cross-border summary says livestock movements between England and Wales no longer require bluetongue vaccination or other mitigation measures. Donor testing for germinal products, however, continues on both sides of the border. (gov.wales)
The position is tighter for Scotland-bound animals. Defra says any movement of bluetongue-susceptible animals from a restricted zone in England, Wales, Northern Ireland or the Isle of Man to Scotland, including for shows, markets and gatherings, 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 sheep, goats, camelids and other ruminants moving to Scotland from a restricted zone require a pre-movement test within seven days of travel. (gov.uk) Gov.scot also sets a narrower exemption for some cattle. Animals vaccinated with BULTAVO 3 can move from a restricted zone to Scotland without a pre-movement test only if 21 days have elapsed since completion of the full primary course and a booster has been given where 12 months have passed. Unvaccinated cattle, or cattle vaccinated with other approved BTV-3 products, still require a pre-movement test. In practical terms, vaccination reduces some friction but does not remove the licensing and documentary burden for every movement. (gov.scot)
Vaccination policy is now more settled than during the first phase of the outbreak. Defra and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate say three BTV-3 vaccines are authorised for use in the UK: Bluevac-3, BULTAVO 3 and Syvazul BTV 3. A vet must prescribe the vaccine, although the keeper may administer it, and the departments advise keepers to make the decision with veterinary input. (gov.uk) The compliance point is explicit. In England, Wales and Scotland, every vaccination must be recorded, records must be kept for at least five years, and vaccinations must be reported within 48 hours. GOV.UK states that using the vaccine without reporting it is unlawful. For policy purposes, vaccination is best understood as a herd health measure running alongside movement controls, not as a universal replacement for them. (gov.uk)
Trade rules remain restrictive where imported stock is concerned. GOV.UK says susceptible animals cannot be moved from countries where BTV-3 is present into Great Britain under the current health certificate regime, because there is no fully approved BTV-3 vaccine with a guaranteed period of immunity for those purposes. Where animals are imported from an affected country, or from a country within 150 kilometres of an affected country, APHA may require post-import testing and will hold the animals under movement restrictions until disease freedom is confirmed. (gov.uk) The same caution runs through the rules for germinal products. In the English restricted zone, freezing semen, ova or embryos requires either a specific licence or processing at a designated premises, and donor animals must be tested after collection using PCR or, in some cases, ELISA. GOV.UK also advises that product from animals with unknown infection status should be quarantined from other material until negative results are received, reflecting the continuing concern about transmission through breeding material. (gov.uk)
The current summer case sits against a much larger recent disease history. Defra's historical summary records 348 bluetongue cases in Great Britain during the 2025 to 2026 season, made up of 324 in England and 24 in Wales, with none in Scotland; those cases were confirmed between 11 July 2025 and 23 June 2026. The same GOV.UK update records 163 cases in 2024 to 2025, including one BTV-12 case in England, and 126 BTV-3 cases on 73 English premises between 10 November 2023 and 3 March 2024. (gov.uk) That recent pattern explains the breadth of the administrative response now in place. Defra says control measures in England are being managed under the bluetongue disease control framework, and the department continues to direct keepers to zone maps, movement guidance and immediate reporting routes for suspected disease. For livestock businesses, the practical question is which rule set applies to each movement, species and breeding activity on the day of travel. (gov.uk)