Scotland remains vigilant as bluetongue virus threatens to reach the country amid rising UK cases

Scotland has so far avoided bluetongure serotype 3, but officials warn the virus could arrive as Britain faces its highest-risk season, prompting calls for vaccination and vigilant surveillance across the UK.

Scotland has so far avoided bluetongue serotype 3, but the country’s chief veterinary officer said farmers should still assume the virus could arrive as Britain enters the highest-risk part of the season.

Speaking at an AHDB Battle Bluetongue briefing, Sheila Voas said targeted surveillance along the border and winter testing had found no Scottish cases. But she warned that warm weather and the speed of spread elsewhere meant the threat had not passed, adding: “My working assumption is vaccinate unless there’s a good reason not to.”

UK chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss said there have been 134 confirmed infected premises across Great Britain since July 1, most of them in England, with four in Wales and none in Scotland. She stressed these are holdings, not individual animals, so the true animal count is much higher.

The outbreak is concentrated in the south-west of England, but cases have also emerged in the Midlands, the north-west and Yorkshire. Middlemiss said the disease now appears to be producing more severe illness, with higher mortality and broader clinical signs than seen previously.

Wales’ chief veterinary officer Richard Irvine said the peak was likely still ahead, probably in September and October. He urged buyers of breeding stock to check vaccination status and health records.

Officials said vaccination remains the best protection. The cost, typically £2.50 to £3.50 a dose, was described as modest compared with losses from death, fertility problems and reduced production.