Record bluetongue outbreak strains British farms and animal welfare

Great Britain has recorded 3,472 bluetongue cases since July, exceeding the combined total for the previous three seasons by more than fivefold, according to the Guardian. Giving evidence to MPs, British Veterinary Association president Dr Gwen Rees described the outbreak as an animal welfare crisis. The midge-borne virus affects sheep, cattle and goats and can cause fever, reproductive losses and death.

National Farmers Union adviser Catherine McLaughlin said farmers were facing emotional distress alongside livestock deaths, reduced production and additional costs. Rees said there was no direct treatment, while vaccine costs and uncertainty about infection risk had discouraged some preventive vaccination. Devon recorded 1,291 cases, Somerset 373 and Cornwall 352.

The reported case count measures premises with at least one infected animal, rather than individual livestock, so it does not establish the full scale of animal suffering. McLaughlin also warned that fertility damage could leave some farms with fewer lambs in spring, extending the outbreak’s financial consequences beyond immediate veterinary and labour costs.