Major changes to bluetongue testing and reporting in England

The UK Government has announced changes to testing and reporting procedures for suspected bluetongue cases in England.

These changes come into effect today and we know for those of you working in farm and mixed practice, who’ve been working tirelessly this year to fight the disease and support your clients and animals, the short notice of these changes may present challenges.

The good news is that some of our initial questions about the changes and how they will affect you have been addressed by government. We do, however, remain concerned about possible unintended consequences and will closely monitor the impact of these changes on you and your clients, as well as any increased risk to disease surveillance.

We will keep you informed about any further updates.

In the meantime, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has launched a bluetongue heat map that will enable you to have timely, evidence-based conversations with clients about local disease risk. The tool offers a valuable snapshot of confirmed and unconfirmed cases, cattle and sheep density maps, and confirmed cases from previous years, which will give you and your clients a more complete, real-time picture of geographical spread and support discussions about appropriate flock and herd health measures. 

You can view the heat map here.

Remember to share any concerns or your experience of the impact of the changes by emailing us at [email protected].