All articles tagged with #bluetongue
The UK is facing its worst bluetongue outbreak on record, with 2026-27 season cases already exceeding the total of the previous three years combined. The disease, linked to climate-driven warming, has spread to Scotland and is causing severe stress on farmers due to vaccine shortages and livestock fertility issues.
A Scottish farm in Creetown recorded Scotland’s first bluetongue virus case after vaccination of a few local animals; a poorly lamb was euthanised and four farms were affected within a week. With vaccines in short supply, authorities are urging cattle and sheep vaccination to contain the outbreak, which is believed to have been carried by wind‑borne midges from England, threatening livestock welfare and farm livelihoods and prompting possible movement restrictions.
Scotland records its first bluetongue outbreak in Creetown after a lamb on Fiona Johnson’s farm tests positive, leading to euthanasia and affecting nearby farms; experts say windborne midges likely carried the virus from England, prompting a vaccination push though supplies are running short and potential movement restrictions could hit farmers financially.
Two more bluetongue virus cases confirmed on neighboring farms in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, after the first case; all affected animals euthanised and farms under restrictions. Officials say infected midges likely blew in from outbreaks in Ireland and northern England, and vaccination is urged to prevent further spread. The UK has reported hundreds of BTV3 cases this season, though the disease does not affect humans.