Farmers across Cheshire, Derbyshire and Wrexham are being urged to keep a close watch on cattle and sheep as bluetongue numbers tick higher. Defra’s latest update (13 December 2025) confirms 249 cases across Great Britain since July, the start of this season. England accounts for 230 cases and Wales 19, with Scotland still at zero. Locations are listed on Defra’s online case map, and suspected signs should be reported to APHA without delay.

Defra confirms the majority of this season’s positives are bluetongue serotype 3 (BTV‑3). Of England’s 230 cases, 222 were BTV‑3 alone, one was BTV‑8 alone and seven showed both BTV‑3 and BTV‑8. Wales’ 19 cases are all BTV‑3. Northern Ireland has reported one confirmed BTV‑3 case via DAERA. These figures set the context for a winter period where vigilance remains essential even as temperatures fall.

The most recent confirmations reflect a busy week for local vets and keepers. On 13 December, routine surveillance identified infection in two cattle in Wrexham. A day earlier, on 12 December, two dairy cows in Cheshire tested positive after fever, milk drop and reduced appetite were reported, while a dairy cow in Somerset was confirmed following a cluster of abortions in the same group.

Further north-west activity was logged on 11 December, when an aborted foetus in Cheshire tested positive. Separate routine surveillance on the same day confirmed two infected cattle in Hampshire. Earlier in the week, on 10 December, surveillance picked up 13 infected cattle in Kent, with Wales confirming six positives that day: four in Powys and two in Wrexham.

Cases linked to clinical signs continued to emerge in the Midlands. On 9 December, two Derbyshire cows were tested after abortions and crusting around the muzzle; both were confirmed. Surveillance also found five positives in Cornwall and three in Wrexham. On 8 December, a bovine in South Yorkshire tested positive during germinal product collection checks. On 5 December, a Devon animal with fever, head swelling and nostril crusting was confirmed, alongside single positives detected by surveillance in Hampshire, Kent and Berkshire. The run began on 3 December with one Derbyshire cow confirmed after an abortion, and 10 further positives detected in Cornwall via surveillance.

Risk assessments have shifted with the colder weather. Defra experts say the risk of onward spread by biting midges is now negligible in the south-east, East Anglia, the south-west and the north-east. Even so, infection can still occur from existing infected midges and from germinal products, and the overall risk of new incursions from outside the country remains at medium, with airborne incursion now considered negligible.

Movement rules have been simplified. The whole of England remains a bluetongue restricted zone, but keepers can move animals within England without a specific bluetongue licence or pre‑movement testing. England’s key change is for germinal products: freezing semen, ova or embryos requires a licence and testing, with keepers covering sampling, postage and lab costs as set out by Defra.

Wales moved to an all‑country restricted zone at 00:01 on 10 November 2025. That shift ended the temporary control zone and premises‑level restrictions, and allowed free movement of livestock between England and Wales without bluetongue vaccination or mitigation steps. However, restrictions on germinal products continue: donor animals must be tested before freezing and marketing to reduce longer‑term transmission risks.

For day‑to‑day farm decisions, Defra’s advice remains straightforward: be vigilant for fever, milk drop, reduced appetite, head swelling, crusting around the muzzle or unexplained abortions, and report suspected cases to APHA immediately. Guidance on BTV‑3 vaccination and biosecurity, movement licensing, identification rules for cattle, sheep, goats and deer, and importer/exporter requirements is available on gov.uk, alongside case and zone maps, webinars and printable materials.

This winter’s picture follows two years of activity. The first BTV‑3 case of the 2025–26 vector season was confirmed on 11 July 2025. Before that, Defra recorded 163 cases between August 2024 and May 2025 (including one BTV‑12 case in February 2025), and 126 BTV‑3 cases between November 2023 and March 2024. Prior to those, the last bluetongue outbreak in the UK was BTV‑8 in 2007–08. For Northern producers watching margins, the message is clear: midge activity may be low, but paperwork on germinal products and prompt reporting still matter. Keepers in Cheshire, Derbyshire, South Yorkshire, Wrexham and Powys should stay switched on as calving and lambing plans move ahead.