Bluetongue BTV-3: England and Wales rules, Nov 2025
If you keep cattle, sheep or other ruminants, here’s the picture as of Monday 17 November 2025. Defra reports 194 confirmed bluetongue cases across Great Britain since July. England accounts for 181 cases (175 BTV‑3 only, one BTV‑8 only and five with both BTV‑3 and BTV‑8). Wales has 13 BTV‑3 cases. There are none in Scotland. We’ve translated the official update into plain English below so you can act with confidence.
A quick refresher for your notes: bluetongue is a virus spread by biting midges, affecting cattle, sheep, goats, deer and camelids like llamas and alpacas. It does not affect people or food safety. Bluetongue is a notifiable disease, so if you suspect it, you must report it.
What the serotypes mean for you: BTV‑3 is driving almost all current cases. A single BTV‑8 case was confirmed in Cornwall earlier in the season, and a small number of animals have shown both viruses on PCR. This matters for surveillance and trade paperwork, but not for human health.
The latest week in brief so you can plan. On 14 November, officials confirmed two clinically suspected bovines in Cheshire and Cornwall, one privately tested case in Bedfordshire, and seven further detections through routine surveillance across Devon, Dorset, Hampshire and the two Sussex counties. On 13 November, one clinical case in Cornwall and three surveillance clusters in Devon and East Sussex were added. Positives on 12 and 11 November came via surveillance and private testing in Sussex, Somerset and Staffordshire.
How to read the current risk. With temperatures dropping, the assessed risk of onward spread by midges in the south‑east, East Anglia, the south‑west and the north‑east is very low. The overall risk of bluetongue entering Great Britain by any route remains medium, while the airborne route specifically is low. Infection can still occur from already infected midges or from infected germinal products, so keep checks going even in cold snaps.
What this means if you keep livestock in England. The whole of England is in a bluetongue restricted zone. You can move susceptible animals within England without a specific bluetongue licence or pre‑movement testing. Freezing semen, ova or embryos still requires a specific licence and testing, and keepers pay sampling, postage and lab costs. England has operated under an all‑England restricted zone since 1 July 2025.
What this means if you keep livestock in Wales. From 00:01 on 10 November 2025, Wales has a country‑wide restricted zone. The previous temporary control zone ended, premises‑level bluetongue restrictions were lifted, and livestock can move freely between England and Wales without bluetongue vaccination or extra mitigation. Testing rules for germinal products still apply.
Thinking about cross‑border moves. Movements from the restricted zones to Scotland or Wales use general licences that set conditions for both animals and germinal products. Before booking transport, check the terms on the day so you meet testing and certification requirements.
Learning corner: how bluetongue spreads. Midges carry the virus; animals do not pass it directly to each other. Cooler weather reduces midge activity and slows virus replication, which is why winter usually brings a lower risk. Earlier this year, APHA highlighted a very high chance of BTV‑3 being blown in from northern Europe-useful context for why vaccination and surveillance remain important.
Vaccination basics to discuss with your vet. BTV‑3 vaccines hold marketing authorisations in Great Britain, and if you vaccinate you must report your use through Defra’s reporting service. To avoid muddying surveillance results, don’t schedule pre‑movement PCR testing within seven days of vaccination. Your vet can help plan timing for herds and flocks.
Reading official risk words helps you decide calmly. In Defra updates, ‘very low’ means rare but not ruled out, ‘medium’ means it occurs regularly, and ‘low’ means rare but does occur. Keep these in mind when weighing turnout decisions, buying‑in stock or arranging semen collection.
Spotting and reporting: keep an eye out for fever, drooling, lameness, crusting around the nose, swollen coronary bands and reluctance to eat. Because bluetongue is notifiable, if you suspect it you must contact APHA immediately. There are defined testing routes in restricted zones-your private vet can advise on the correct pathway.
Want to see where cases have been confirmed? Defra’s interactive case map shows every premises in Great Britain with a positive PCR for BTV‑3, BTV‑8 or BTV‑12. It’s a useful classroom resource and a practical farm‑level tool for risk awareness.
We’ll keep this explainer updated as the official picture shifts. This article reflects the Defra and APHA position published on 17 November 2025. If risk language or movement rules change, we’ll spell out what that means for you and your learners.