The Bluetongue (Scotland) Amendment Order 2026 is a narrow but important change to Scotland’s animal disease controls. From 3 October, it amends the 2012 bluetongue order so Scottish Ministers can permit voluntary vaccination in a restricted zone, rather than only in a free area. (legislation.gov.uk) The timing is central to the policy effect. The Scottish Government has moved the whole of Scotland into a bluetongue restricted zone from 3 October 2026, after BTV-3 was detected on several premises in south-west Scotland in August, and ministers issued a declaration on 2 October allowing vaccination across that zone. (gov.scot)
Before this amendment, article 24 of the 2012 order allowed ministers to declare voluntary vaccination in a free area. The new instrument updates that framework so restricted-zone vaccination can also be authorised, which is the legal adjustment needed for the current Scotland-wide zone. (legislation.gov.uk) That means the order is enabling rather than compulsory. It does not itself require farmers to vaccinate animals against bluetongue; it changes the law so ministers may permit vaccination where disease controls are already in force. (legislation.gov.uk)
The amendment sits alongside a broader shift in Scotland’s bluetongue response. According to the Scottish Government, extending the restricted zone to the whole country was agreed with industry and was intended to simplify autumn trading conditions by giving Scotland a single disease status. (gov.scot) For cattle, sheep and other susceptible ruminants, the immediate trading effect is significant. The government said movement licences previously needed for animals moved into, within and out of the south-west Scotland zone would no longer be necessary once the whole country shared the same restricted status. (gov.scot)
The declaration made under the amended rules states that the whole of Scotland, as a restricted zone declared under article 16 of the 2012 order, is an area where voluntary vaccination is permitted. In policy terms, the statutory instrument and the declaration now operate together: the order creates the legal route, and the declaration applies it nationwide. (gov.scot) The permission is subject to conditions. The declaration says vaccination must use a non-live attenuated vaccine and, where the vaccine is for bluetongue virus serotype 3, it must be administered in line with the annexed schedule of conditions as well as veterinary and manufacturer instructions. (gov.scot)
Those conditions are practical as well as legal. Animals that do not already have an approved means of identification must be identified in line with official requirements, and written or digital records of every vaccinated animal must be kept and produced to an inspector on request. (gov.scot) The vaccination declaration issued on 2 October also revokes an earlier declaration made on 29 April 2025. For compliance purposes, producers and veterinary practices should now work from the October 2026 declaration and its annex rather than relying on earlier permissions. (gov.scot)
For farmers, auction markets, hauliers and veterinary practices, the practical message is straightforward. Scotland has aligned its vaccination rules with its zone status, giving susceptible livestock keepers a lawful route to vaccinate voluntarily while the country remains under restricted-zone controls. (gov.scot) The change does not displace the wider duties that apply in the restricted zone. The Scottish Government says keepers must maintain animal inventories, keep them updated, and must not move animals showing clinical signs of bluetongue, so the amendment should be read as one part of a wider biosecurity regime rather than a standalone easing of controls. (gov.scot)