UK Bluetongue Outbreak Reaches 2,780 Premises With 722 More Under Investigation

The United Kingdom’s 2026 bluetongue outbreak has reached 2,780 confirmed premises, with another 722 potential cases under investigation in Great Britain, according to the latest update from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Animal and Plant Health Agency.

The total includes 2,280 confirmed premises in England, 457 in Wales and 43 in Scotland. Northern Ireland has reported no confirmed cases in the 2026 to 2027 season. The current outbreak is overwhelmingly associated with bluetongue serotype 3 or cases where the serotype has not yet been specified.

The outbreak is running far above last season

The scale is already many times larger than the previous season. Great Britain recorded 348 bluetongue cases in the 2025 to 2026 outbreak season, compared with 2,780 confirmed premises in the current season by October 4.

DEFRA reported 95 new cases in England on October 4 alone and one new BTV-3 case in Wales. Devon has become the largest concentration, with 1,075 confirmed premises, followed by Cornwall with 300 and Somerset with 251.

Most detections followed visible clinical disease

Of the current confirmed premises, 2,720 were detected after reports of suspicious clinical signs. Sheep and cattle account for much of the outbreak, although alpacas, llamas, goats, deer and bison have also tested positive.

Bluetongue is transmitted by Culicoides biting midges and does not affect people or the safety of meat and milk. In livestock it can cause fever, swelling, mouth lesions, lameness, reduced milk production and reproductive losses, with sheep often showing more severe disease.

Hundreds of suspect farms are still awaiting results

The 722 premises under investigation mean the confirmed total may continue to rise. Those are holdings where suspicious clinical signs have been reported but the keeper has not yet received final test results.

For livestock businesses, the commercial risk is not limited to animal health. Large outbreaks can affect veterinary costs, vaccination decisions, animal movements, breeding plans and farm productivity even where national trade continues. Producers should follow current DEFRA, APHA and devolved-administration guidance because disease-control measures can change as the outbreak develops.