Bluetongue is a "disease we're going to have to learn to live with" in Ireland, according to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM)

Avril Hobson, head of divison, the National Disease Control Centre of the DAFM, told a webinar hosted by the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) that bluetongue "is here and it's here to stay".

She explained that the EU Commission has recategorised bluetongue from a category C disease to a category D+E disease.

This change is scheduled to take full effect on July 15, 2026, and will result in bluetongue being treated as a disease under surveillance, as opposed to a disease to be eradicated.

Freedom

No member state will be able to achieve official freedom from bluetongue as a result of these changes.

Recaterogisation "rules out the possibility of having an eradication programme", Avril Hobson said.

She added that as a result of the incoming changes "there will be some effects on rules for intra-EU movements of animals and germinal products", but these have not been published yet.

Infected pockets

Hobson said "we don't really know what's coming ahead of us" in terms of bluetongue.

She said it is "quite possible we have infected pockets within Ireland".

Overall, it is "difficult to know how much infection we have on the island".

She said the herds identified as having bluetongue are most likely the "tip of the iceberg".

"Our policy priority is to identify geographical extent of cases to assist farmers with their vets in decision-making before the high-risk season," Hobson said.

How severe Ireland will be impacted by bluetongue is like "looking into a crystal ball", Hobson added.

Bluetongue confirmed in 'multiple herds'

DAFM said that bluetongue virus has now been confirmed in "multiple cattle herds" in southern and eastern areas.

The first case was confirmed in a suckler herd in Co. Wexford on January 24.

DAFM has confirmed that further investigations have identified bluetongue in 10 additional herds through tracing and active surveillance in the south-east.