Great Britain has experienced an unprecedented bluetongue outbreak, with officials characterizing the situation as a major animal welfare crisis. The viral disease, which affects sheep, cattle and goats and can cause fever, lesions, stillbirths and death, has reached record levels during the 2025-26 season. Since July, authorities have recorded 3,472 cases across England, Scotland and Wales—more than five times the combined total from the previous three seasons.
The outbreak has created significant hardship for farming communities. Catherine McLaughlin, chief animal health and welfare adviser at the National Farmers Union, told lawmakers that farmers are experiencing severe emotional and financial pressure. Beyond direct animal losses and disease, farmers have faced reproductive losses, reduced milk and growth rates, increased labor demands, veterinary expenses, and disruptions to breeding and sales operations. The fertility impacts of the virus are expected to have long-lasting consequences, with predictions of substantially reduced lamb numbers in spring affecting farm profitability.
The lack of effective treatment options has compounded the crisis. Dr Gwen Rees, president of the British Veterinary Association, noted that veterinarians can only provide supportive care for infected animals, placing both practitioners and farmers in difficult positions. Vaccination efforts have been hindered by cost concerns and risk uncertainty, as farmers operating on tight margins weighed the expense of preventive immunization against the perceived threat level before the outbreak escalated.
The south-west has been hit hardest, with Devon recording 1,291 cases, followed by Somerset with 373 and Cornwall with 352. The virus, which originated in Africa and is transmitted by biting midges, has spread across Europe over the past two decades in connection with climate-related changes. The serotype 3 strain currently affecting British livestock was first detected in England in 2023. Official case counts, which measure premises with at least one infected animal, likely underestimate the total number of animals affected.
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