Bluetongue restrictions eased in UK

The restrictions put in place to mitigate the disease have been eased. They include:

- Removing the requirement for testing animals after moving them out of a restricted area.
- The use of insecticides on vehicles.
- The need to send animals moving outside a restricted area to a designated slaughterhouse for slaughter.

However, farmers must still:

- Hold a licence to move animals or germinal product out of a restricted area.
- Comply with any post-movement testing requirements set out in their licence or restriction notice if they moved animals out of a restricted area before 20 January 2025.
- Apply for a licence to freeze germinal products in a restricted area.

The Government has confirmed that the exclusion zone, which currently applies to the affected regions along the east and south coast of England, will remain in place. All animals moving out of the exclusion zone will still need to be pre-tested unless they are going to slaughter or a specialist slaughter market.

David Barton, chairman of the National Farmers Union (NFU) livestock council, said: “The confirmation that we are now in the seasonal low transmission period for bluetongue virus will be welcomed by many livestock farmers, particularly those caught in the current exclusion zone. For those farmers who remain in the exclusion zone, I would recommend checking the latest information on pre-testing requirements and the changes that allow animals to move to any slaughterhouse in the ‘Free Zone’. Vigilance remains important during the low transmission period and if you suspect a case it should be reported to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and I would encourage members to discuss vaccination with their vet.”

The NFU continues to work with Defra to develop a control strategy that balances the resources of the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) with the sustainability of the farming business.

Vaccination

A key component of the control strategy for the new season will be vaccination . The NFU is aware that 2 of the 3 vaccines currently in circulation (Bluevac-3G and Syvaluz BTV) have been granted the equivalent of a temporary marketing authorisation by the European Medicines Agency.

The union is not aware of any current equivalent applications to the UK Veterinary Medicines Agency . All 3 vaccines continue to be offered in the UK under the current supply security authorisation for emergency use for the foreseeable future. The government has issued a general licence for reporting of use.

Farmers should continue to report clinical signs of bluetongue virus as it has some similarities with other diseases such as foot and mouth disease, which was recently detected in Germany.