The bluetongue virus has now been detected in counties Wexford, Wicklow, Laois, Louth, Monaghan, Kildare and Cork according to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).

The latest case has been identified in Co. Cork, according to the department.

The first case of bluetongue was confirmed in a suckler herd in Co. Wexford on January 24, earlier this year.

It was detected through the culled cow routine surveillance in a slaughterhouse.

There are different serotypes of the bluetongue virus - the most commonly found in Europe are 1, 3, 4 and 8. The serotype that has been detected in Ireland is 3.

Bluetongue

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, has warned farmers and livestock owners this week to "prepare for the higher risk period for bluetongue virus".

According to DAFM the virus is spread via midges and temperatures need to be greater that 12°C for a sustained period for the virus to replicate within the midge so that the midge can spread the virus.

The advice to farmers and livestock owners now is to talk to their vets, to decide whether to vaccinate their flocks or herds.

Sheep vaccination takes three weeks to take full effect, and cattle vaccination takes six weeks

More than 270 bluetongue vaccine licenses have been issued to vet practices throughout the country.

Farmers may get the bluetongue vaccine from a vet, under licence from the department.

A DAFM spokesperson has said that an estimated 3,000 herds have been vaccinated to date.

The department has also confirmed that 19,000 "samples of ruminants" have been tested for bluetongue in 2026.

Vaccine

However some farm organisations, including the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association (ICSA) and the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association (ICMSA), have called for the bluetongue vaccine option to be included in more schemes.

The ICSA has said that bluetongue vaccination must be supported as "an additional measure" and not at the expense of core animal health actions.