Worst ever outbreak of bluetongue hits British farms — SkimNews
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- Defra has recorded 2,201 bluetongue cases in the 2026-27 season (running 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027), including 1,103 in September alone — already exceeding the total from the past three seasons combined.
- The midge-borne disease, originating in Africa, has spread across Europe over two decades, with the World Organisation for Animal Health linking that expansion to climate breakdown.
- The outbreak crossed into Scotland for the first time this summer and has been detected as far north as Aberdeenshire.
- Robyn Munt, vice-president of the National Farmers' Union, said vaccine supply has been "really challenging" under a "demand-led process," with farmers already absorbing drought-related costs this year.
- Tom Cantillon of the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit called the record a "harbinger of things to come," warning milder winters and hotter summers will let more pests and pathogens establish in the UK.
- The current strain, BTV-3, was first identified in England in 2023, and academics say hotter temperatures are driving transmission farther north than previously recorded.
Why it matters: With 2,201 cases in three months and the disease reaching Aberdeenshire, UK livestock producers are absorbing a climate-driven disease shock on top of drought-related costs, while vaccine supply has failed to keep pace with demand — leaving farmers to manage sick animals and labor strain with incomplete protection.
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