Bluetongue: how to spot and report the disease
Advice on what to do if you suspect there is an outbreak of this infectious disease.
How to control the disease
You can help prevent bluetongue disease in your livestock by:
- vaccinating your animals with an appropriate authorised vaccine
- sourcing livestock responsibly
- practising good biosecurity on your premises
- staying alert to potential signs of the disease
Importing animals
Consult your vet before importing livestock. Animals from England may have been exposed to bluetongue virus, so check the disease status of animals before using them for breeding.
Response to confirmed bluetongue cases
If bluetongue is confirmed and actively spreading, Scottish Ministers will place movement restrictions in designated zones around the infected premises. You can find information about outbreak response measures in the contingency plan for exotic notifiable diseases and the GB bluetongue Virus Disease Control Strategy.
Biosecurity measures
Effective biosecurity is about understanding how diseases can spread and taking practical measures to reduce this risk. The advice explains actions you can take on your farm or premises to help prevent bluetongue from reaching your animals and to stop it spreading if it does occur. Find out more about how to practice effective biosecurity on your premises.
Vaccination against bluetongue
Vaccination is the best way to protect animals from all types of bluetongue virus.
BTV-3 vaccination
Vaccines for bluetongue virus type 3 (BTV-3) have been authorised for emergency use in Scotland.
If you use a BTV-3 vaccine on your premises, you must keep records:
- for cattle, sheep and goats: record and log on ScotEID
- for other animals like deer: use the online service to report BTV vaccine use
You can also read the guidance for vets prescribing BTV-3 vaccine in Scotland (PDF)
Vaccination timeline and requirements
If you want to vaccinate animals outside a restricted zone for bluetongue, you must follow the declaration rules.
All BTV vaccines (types 1, 2, 3, 4 and 8) can take up to six weeks to fully protect your animals. Animals need time to build immunity after vaccination and might need two injections three weeks apart.
Vets can ask the Veterinary Medicines Directorate for a Special Import Certificate (SIC). This lets keepers import safe bluetongue vaccines directly from the EU to vaccinate their stock.
Contact
If you suspect signs of any notifiable diseases, you must immediately notify your Scotland: field service local office at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). Failure to do so is an offence.