Warm spring weather has pushed bluetongue back into its higher-risk window across England. Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency say the biting midges that spread the virus became active again on 31 March 2026, and cumulative temperatures are now high enough for the virus to develop inside the insects, meaning onward transmission is possible once more. (gov.uk) That warning arrives with 341 confirmed bluetongue cases in Great Britain in the 2025 to 2026 season, counted from 1 July 2025. Defra’s latest breakdown puts 319 cases in England and 23 in Wales, while Scotland has recorded none; the same update notes five confirmed BTV-3 cases in Northern Ireland. (gov.uk)

Most cases in England have been BTV-3, with smaller numbers involving BTV-8 or both serotypes. Recent notifications show why farmers are being asked to pay close attention to reproductive losses and calf health: the latest confirmed English cases in April and May 2026 included late-term abortions, stillborn or aborted calves, brain deformities, blindness, facial deformities and neurological signs in newborn calves. (gov.uk) For farms, that makes bluetongue more than a paperwork issue. The official case list shows that disease pressure can surface through fertility problems and abnormalities at calving, which is why rapid reporting of suspicious signs matters for both animal welfare and early containment. This is an inference from the latest case descriptions published by Defra and APHA. (gov.uk)

The wider signal is hard to miss: vector-borne animal disease responds fast to weather. GOV.UK says biting midges are mainly active from April to November and that temperature, wind and rain all affect how quickly and how far bluetongue can spread; WOAH adds that outbreaks generally track periods of high temperature and rainfall and ease with the first frost or severe cold. (gov.uk) This is also part of a longer climate story. Defra says the BTV-3 detections recorded in England between November 2023 and March 2024 were the first UK incursions in more than 15 years, while a Nature Climate Change study linked bluetongue’s emergence in northern Europe to climate change. That does not mean every case has a single cause, but it does show why warmer, longer vector seasons now belong in farm resilience planning. (gov.uk)

Movement rules reflect how hard it is to contain a virus once the vector is active over a wide area. The whole of England is now a bluetongue restricted zone, although animals can still move within England without a specific bluetongue licence or pre-movement testing. Wales has also been under an all-country restricted zone since 10 November 2025, and livestock can move between England and Wales without vaccination or extra mitigation measures. (gov.uk) The tighter rules sit around germinal products. In England, keepers need a specific licence and testing to freeze semen, ova or embryos anywhere in the country, with the costs of sampling, postage and testing falling to the keeper. Wales still requires donor animals to be tested before germinal products are frozen and marketed. (gov.uk)

The practical response is not panic but layers of protection. WOAH describes vaccination as the most effective and practical measure to reduce losses and help break the cycle between infected animals and midges, and UK guidance now lists three authorised BTV-3 vaccines: Bluevac-3, BULTAVO 3 and Syvazul BTV 3. (woah.org) In Great Britain, a vet must prescribe the BTV-3 vaccine, although keepers can administer it themselves. Defra and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate say every vaccination must be recorded, those records kept for at least five years, and vaccinations reported within 48 hours; the England licence also makes clear that vaccinated animals still face the same movement controls as unvaccinated ones, and animals should not be tested within seven days of a dose because that can produce false positive results. (gov.uk)

Biosecurity still matters just as much. Defra and APHA advise farmers to source livestock responsibly, stay alert to clinical signs, house animals in buildings that keep out biting midges especially at dawn and dusk, maintain strong hygiene on farm, and keep pets away from aborted material and afterbirth. The same guidance stresses traceability, because infected animals, animal products and infected pregnant animals can all help the virus move. (gov.uk) That may sound basic, but it is exactly what resilience looks like on the ground: cleaner units, better records, quicker conversations with the vet, and faster decisions when abortions or deformed calves appear. Those are small operational steps with a large payoff when warm weather turns vector risk into a live business issue. This is an inference based on Defra and APHA’s prevention guidance and current risk assessment. (gov.uk)

There is one useful reassurance amid the disruption. WOAH says bluetongue is non-contagious, vector-borne and not a public health risk; the virus is not spread through contact with animals or wool, or through consuming milk. The pressure falls instead on livestock health, breeding performance, movements and trading costs. (woah.org) The immediate message from the latest government update is straightforward: warmer conditions have reopened the transmission window, so delaying action only adds risk. Farms that check their zone, review vaccination with their vet and report suspicious cases quickly will be in the strongest position to protect both stock and business continuity through the 2026 midge season. (gov.uk)