Bluetongue in Great Britain: cases and rules Feb 2026
If you keep or study livestock, you’ll have seen bluetongue back in the headlines. Here’s the short version: there are new BTV‑3 confirmations this week, movement rules still apply, and you should report suspicious signs straight away using the GOV.UK guidance. We’ll walk you through the facts in plain English so you can brief a class or make decisions on farm today.
According to Defra’s latest update on GOV.UK, there have been 288 confirmed cases in Great Britain in the 2025 vector season so far (since July 2025). England accounts for 267 of these: 259 BTV‑3 only, 1 BTV‑8 only, and 7 where BTV‑3 and BTV‑8 were both detected. Wales has 21 BTV‑3 cases and Scotland has none. DAERA in Northern Ireland reports five BTV‑3 cases. Defra’s bluetongue case map shows the locations of affected premises across Great Britain.
What changed this week? Defra confirmed additional BTV‑3 cases between 7 January and 5 February 2026, many triggered by reports of abortions or congenital problems in calves. Examples include Cheshire (7 January), Devon (9 and 30 January, 4 February), Derbyshire (16 January), Staffordshire (19 January and 5 February), Kent (12 and 20 January), Oxfordshire (3 February), and West Sussex (27 January). Private testing also led to confirmations in Cumbria, East Sussex, Greater London and Shropshire.
Bluetongue is a viral disease of ruminants such as cattle, sheep, goats and deer. It is spread mainly by bites from tiny Culicoides midges rather than by direct animal contact. It is not a risk to human health or food safety. Animals may show mouth or nose ulcers, swollen muzzles, lameness, milk drop, abortions, or, in calves, brain abnormalities-exactly the patterns that vets and keepers have reported to Defra in recent weeks.
Key term you can teach: a “serotype” is a version of the virus with different surface markers. In Britain right now, BTV‑3 is doing most of the work, with some BTV‑8 detections and one BTV‑12 case recorded last year. Why it matters: vaccines, tests and movement rules often depend on which serotype is circulating.
Defra’s risk view has shifted with winter temperatures. Experts judge the risk of onward spread by midges in the south‑east, East Anglia, the south‑west and the north‑east to be negligible right now. That said, animals can still be infected by already infected midges or via infected germinal products. The overall risk of bluetongue incursion to Britain from all routes remains at medium, while airborne incursion is considered negligible.
About control zones: the whole of England remains a bluetongue restricted zone. Wales moved to an all‑Wales restricted zone on 10 November 2025, which ended the earlier temporary control zone and premises‑level bluetongue restrictions. Practical takeaway: livestock can move between England and Wales without bluetongue vaccination or extra mitigation measures, but always check the official zone map and local rules before you move.
Movement rules in one place: you can move animals within England’s restricted zone without a bluetongue‑specific licence or pre‑movement testing. Certain moves to Scotland or Wales are covered by Defra’s published general licences-use the right paperwork. Germinal products are different: freezing semen, ova or embryos in England needs a specific licence and testing, and keepers cover sampling, postage and lab costs. Wales continues to require testing of donor animals before freezing and marketing germinal products as a quality‑assurance step.
On vaccination and biosecurity, Defra has dedicated guidance for BTV‑3. Farmers should discuss vaccination options with their vet and follow the GOV.UK advice on slowing spread-reducing midge exposure, planning breeding decisions carefully, and keeping movement records tight. These small actions protect neighbouring herds and help officials build a clear picture.
Spotting and reporting matters. Recent confirmed cases often followed abortions, calves born with brain malformations or blindness, mouth and nose ulcers, swollen muzzles, lameness, “off‑colour” cattle and unexplained milk drop. If you suspect bluetongue, report it immediately using the GOV.UK ‘signs of bluetongue and report it’ page or via your vet; APHA will advise on testing and next steps.
Learning lens for classrooms and farm teams: treat the GOV.UK updates as a live dataset. Ask: which counties are reporting and what clinical signs are most common? What does “vector season” mean for timing practical tasks such as breeding or moving stock? What it means: reading primary sources builds media‑literacy skills and helps you make safer, faster decisions.
Context helps. The first BTV‑3 case of the 2025–26 vector season was confirmed on 11 July 2025. Before that, Defra recorded 160 BTV‑3 cases in England and 2 in Wales linked to high‑risk moves between 26 August 2024 and 31 May 2025, plus one BTV‑12 case on 7 February 2025-163 in total. Earlier still, between November 2023 and March 2024, there were 126 BTV‑3 cases on 73 English premises (119 cattle and 7 sheep). Those were the first UK bluetongue incursions in over 15 years; the previous outbreak was BTV‑8 in 2007–2008. Keeping this timeline in view explains why today’s movement and testing rules are so specific.