01/08/2026
Bluetongue – a view from a local vet
Tim Bebbington from Castle Vets, Launceston, shared the following update with Edward Richardson, our Rural Support Manager. With Tim's permission, we're sharing it here as it provides a helpful insight into what vets are currently seeing on farms across the South West.
Sheep are the worst affected, especially rams. They are big and smelly, so they attract the midges that spread the virus.
Affected sheep often have swollen faces, crusted noses and excessive drooling. Some will rest their faces in water troughs. If you look inside their mouths, you may see reddening, along with erosions on the tongue and lips. The corners of the mouth can become cracked and bleed, and in older cases the skin on the lips may break and peel away.
The feet are often affected too, leaving animals lame and reluctant to move. They frequently lie down, and the coronary band can become swollen and painful. Occasionally, both eyes become cloudy.
We treat affected animals with antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. While this helps relieve symptoms and reduces the risk of secondary infection, Bluetongue is a viral disease and these treatments cannot cure it.
As this is a new disease for many animals, they have little or no immunity. Sadly, many sheep have died or have had to be put down because they were clearly suffering.
Checking livestock has become a difficult and worrying task for many farmers. In cattle, we have seen lameness, mastitis, reduced fertility and abortions.
We have had the perfect conditions for this subtropical disease. The prolonged warm weather has allowed the virus to cycle rapidly through the midge population and back into livestock, increasing infection levels. At the same time, stock have been seeking shade and gathering around water to keep cool – exactly the places where midges are most active.
We have now seen cases on Dartmoor, Bodmin Moor and across the land between. This outbreak is predicted to peak towards the end of August and the beginning of September. An Indian summer could prolong it further.
The best protection is vaccination. All recent cases have been BTV-3, the strain we have a vaccine for. Farmers have already taken up tens of thousands of doses over the last few days.
If we could turn the clock back, we would vaccinate before the disease arrived. It is still worth vaccinating now.
If Bluetongue hasn't reached your farm yet, make the most of the time available to get your livestock vaccinated. They will thank you.
