A VACCINATION against bluetongue will be permitted for use in cattle and sheep in Ireland from next year.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon made the announcement last night, after a fourth outbreak of the disease was confirmed in Northern Ireland.
“My objective has always been clear: to detect any incursion of BTV3 as early as possible, to respond as effectively as possible, and to reduce any disease impact on Irish cattle and sheep, and thus the consequences for Irish farmers, as far as possible,” Minister Heydon said.
“We now know that BTV3 is present on the island, following the four outbreaks detected in Co. Down, Northern Ireland,” he explained.
“This changes the risk picture and unfortunately makes it much more likely that the disease will spread during the high-risk season in summer 2026.
“For that reason, I have made the decision to permit the use of vaccination against BTV3 in Irish livestock.”
The minister further confirmed their plan is to make the vaccination available by spring to help farmers through the “high-risk” summer period.
“The main way this virus spreads is via midges, and we know that right now, it is too cold for this to happen in Ireland,” he explained.
“The high-risk period will be summer 2026, and farmers can consider whether to use BTV3 vaccines in spring 2026 to protect their stock in advance of any midge-borne virus spread in the warmer months.”
He added: “I advise cattle and sheep farmers who are interested in BTV3 vaccination to discuss the option with their veterinary practitioner.”
A fourth outbreak of the virus was confirmed by Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs on December 16.
Two further cases of the disease were found on a farm in Co. Down, they said in a statement.
“Temporary control zone (TCZ) surveillance has indicated suspect cases in two cattle on a second farm near Greyabbey,” they said.
“This takes the total number of suspected infected premises to four.”
They added: “The discovery came as the National Reference Laboratory confirmed the Bluetongue virus (BTV) in the first Greyabbey case (initially reported on 6 December) and the case on a farm near the site of the original outbreak near Bangor (initially reported on 11 December).
DAERA Minister Andrew Muir said: “The emergence of a fourth suspect case during surveillance testing is disappointing but will not come as a surprise given the scale of the testing undertaken by the Department.
“Bluetongue is an unpredictable virus that can be spread rapidly by midges through and between flocks and herds. It is important to reiterate that BTV poses no human health risk or food safety concern but it does impact cloven hoofed animals like cattle, sheep, goats, deer, llamas and alpacas.
“While we are now in the vector inactive period with the winter weather limiting the ability of midges to spread the virus, it is vital farmers and vets familiarise themselves with the symptoms and remain on their guard over the coming months for clinical signs of the disease.
"Herd keepers and flock owners who suspect an outbreak should report any symptoms immediately to their vet, local Divisional Veterinary Office or to the DAERA helpline on 0300 200 7840.”
See More: Bluetongue, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Vaccination
