In December, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon announced that the use of bluetongue vaccination will be permitted in cattle and sheep in Ireland in 2026.

This followed the recent detection of outbreaks of bluetongue serotype 3 (BTV-3) in Northern Ireland.

With the knowledge that BTV-3 is present on the island, Minister Heydon said that this "changes the risk picture and unfortunately makes it much more likely that the disease will spread during the high-risk season in summer 2026".

For that reason, the decision was taken to permit the use of vaccination against BTV-3 in Irish livestock, according to the minister.

What is BTV-3?

Bluetongue virus can infect and cause severe clinical signs in ruminant species (including sheep, cattle, goats and deer) and camelids (such as llama and alpaca).

There are different serotypes (variations within the species) of bluetongue virus BTV.

BTV-3 is a viral disease which can be spread to cattle, sheep and other ruminants by midges, via transplacental infection of pregnant animals, and via germinal products such as semen.

The virus can only replicate in midges when the average daily temperatures exceed 12°.

Virus replication is faster at hotter temperatures, and midge activity is also more intense at such times, which is why the summer months are the high-risk period.

As bluetongue is a notifiable disease, any suspect case of bluetongue must be reported to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) without delay.

Farmers, veterinary practitioners and other relevant stakeholders should remain vigilant for bluetongue.

An outbreak of bluetongue in Ireland would have serious implications for the Irish agri-industry.

Bluetongue can result in very severe on-farm impacts (serious illness and death), resulting in animal welfare concerns and economic impacts on the livestock sector.

There are no public health risks associated with bluetongue. Bluetongue does not affect human health or food safety.

When is the high-risk period?

The main way this virus spreads is via midges, and currently it is too cold for this to happen in Ireland.

Midge activity levels are dependant on average temperatures.

The high-risk period for bluetongue spread is when midges are most active.

Traditionally this would be between April and November, however rising global temperatures and mild weather conditions during winter may see midge activity persisting for longer, extending the periods of potential disease transmission.

Wind speed and direction can also affect how far midges can travel and could potentially facilitate the spread of disease.

The high-risk period will be summer 2026.

When can farmers vaccinate?

Farmers can consider vaccinating animals against BTV-3 in spring 2026 to protect livestock in advance of any midge-borne virus spread in the warmer summer and autumn months.

Farmers who are interested in BTV-3 vaccination are advised to discuss the option with their private veterinary practitioner (PVP) and subsequently apply for vaccination through their PVP.

What is the process for farmers to obtain vaccines?

In order to obtain and use BTV-3 vaccines, a licence is required from the department.

The licence granted by the department is required to import, possess, store, sell/supply and administer a bluetongue vaccine, so wholesalers and PVPs require one.

It is an offence to do the above activities without a valid licence. This is because bluetongue is adisease listed in Schedule 2 of The Control of Animal Vaccines Regulation (COVR) – Statutory Instrument 193 of 2014.

If a farmer wishes to administer the vaccine to livestock, they must contact their PVP.

Once their PVP has a valid COVR licence, the PVP must contact the department to add the farmer's herd/flock number to their licence.

They will supply DAFM with the following information:

Owner/keeper name;
Owner/keeper mobile number and email address;
Herd/flock number;
Number of doses to be prescribed/supplied.

Once the PVP has received confirmation that the farmer has been added to their licence, they canprescribe/supply the vaccine to the farmer.

The farmer's PVP will also supply them with a copy of the licence addendum which details information that must be returned to DAFM's National Disease Control Centre (NDCC).

Why are vaccines being recorded at individual level?

According to DAFM, bluetongue vaccination will make disease surveillance more complicated in the future.

The NDCC requires information on every animal that is vaccinated for its records.

In the event of a positive test result in the future, this will aid them in more accurate surveillance efforts, the department added.

What vaccines can be used?

There are three BTV-3 vaccines approved for use in the EU, and widely used in BTV-3-affected countries.

The three BTV-3 vaccines can be used in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland currently.

These are: SYVAZUL BTV 3; Bluevac-3; and Bultavo 3.

DAFM said that the pricing and supply of BTV-3 vaccines is a "commercial matter and the department has no role in setting or controlling prices".

It is expected more information will be issued by DAFM in the coming weeks/months on bluetongue vaccinations.

Northern Ireland

Bluetongue vaccines have been approved for use in Northern Ireland since earlier in 2025, with a specific licence also necessary.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs advises farmers in Northern Ireland that while their vet must prescribe the vaccine, the animal keeper can administer the vaccine to the animals.

When a farmer uses a BTV-3 vaccination, they must comply with normal veterinary medicines recording obligations.

There are additional BTV-3 recording and reporting requirements that will be included in the specific licence they obtain.

Written or digital records must be kept of every animal vaccinated and must be provided to an inspector on request.