Great Britain has faced an unprecedented bluetongue outbreak during the 2025-26 season, marking the most severe year on record for the viral disease. The outbreak has prompted concerns from agricultural leaders and veterinary professionals regarding both animal welfare and the financial impact on farming communities.
Bluetongue is a viral disease transmitted by biting midges that affects sheep, cattle, and goats, causing symptoms including fever, lesions, stillbirths, and death. The virus, which originated in Africa, has spread gradually across Europe over the past two decades, with the World Organisation for Animal Health attributing this expansion to climate change. The current strain affecting British livestock, identified as serotype 3, first appeared in England in 2023.
Since July, authorities have recorded 3,472 confirmed cases across England, Scotland, and Wales—more than five times the combined total from the three previous seasons. The south-west region has been particularly affected, with Devon reporting 1,291 cases, followed by Somerset with 373 cases and Cornwall with 352 cases. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs notes that its case definition counts a premises where at least one infected animal is present, indicating the actual number of affected animals exceeds the reported case count.
Farmers have faced significant challenges, including animal mortality, disease impacts, reproductive losses, reduced milk production, growth setbacks, and elevated veterinary expenses. Representatives from the National Farmers Union and British Veterinary Association have characterized the situation as a major animal welfare crisis. Veterinarians report limited treatment options, with management focused primarily on supportive care rather than direct therapeutic intervention. The reproductive effects of the virus are expected to create long-term consequences for farming operations, potentially resulting in substantially lower lamb numbers in the coming spring and significant financial repercussions for affected businesses.
The cost and uncertainty surrounding vaccination have discouraged some farmers from implementing preventive measures prior to the outbreak’s acceleration, according to veterinary professionals. The combination of tight profit margins and vaccine expenses made advance immunization a challenging financial decision for many producers.
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