The midge-borne viral infection causes severe symptoms in cattle, goats, and sheep, including lesions, fever, high mortality, and protruding tongues. The epidemic has hit the south-west of Britain hardest, with Devon alone recording 1,291 cases since July. Limited vaccination uptake due to high costs and tight margins has exacerbated the crisis, leaving farmers with reduced productivity and major breeding disruptions.
Key points
Official case statistics record affected premises rather than individual animals, indicat…: Official case statistics record affected premises rather than individual animals, indicating the true livestock toll is significantly higher.
Veterinary teams face major obstacles managing infections because no direct medical treat…: Veterinary teams face major obstacles managing infections because no direct medical treatment exists beyond general supportive care.
Reduced spring lamb numbers and elevated veterinary costs are set to inflict long-lasting…: Reduced spring lamb numbers and elevated veterinary costs are set to inflict long-lasting financial hardship on agricultural businesses.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
The worst bluetongue season on record has been a major animal welfare crisis in Great Britain, MPs have been told, putting farmers under “severe emotional stress”.
Bluetongue, a viral disease that affects sheep, cattle and goats, can cause fever, lesions, stillbirths and death. The tongue may go blue and protrude from the mouth.
The virus, which originated in Africa and is transmitted via biting midges, has spread to Europe over the past two decades, a development the World Organisation for Animal Health links to climate breakdown. The strain of bluetongue currently affecting livestock, serotype 3 (BTV-3), was first found in England in 2023.
The 2025-26 season has been the worst on record. There have been 3,472 cases recorded in England, Scotland and Wales since July, more than five times the past three seasons combined.
Catherine McLaughlin, the chief animal health and welfare adviser at the National Farmers Union, told MPs that this year’s outbreak had placed farmers across the country “under severe emotional pressure and stress”.
“Farmers have faced animal deaths, severe disease, reproductive losses, milk and growth losses, extra…
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The infected patient represents the first British citizen confirmed to have contracted the virus during the ongoing crisis in Central Africa. With the broader regional outbreak already claiming thousands of lives, British authorities have launched established containment procedures to manage the case. Officials stress that the wider public health threat to the United Kingdom remains minimal.
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