Heydon: Bluetongue vaccination 'will be permitted in Ireland' next year
Bluetongue vaccinations will be permitted in cattle and sheep in Ireland next year, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine confirmed today (Wednesday, December 17).
According to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) this follows the recent detection of four outbreaks of bluetongue serotype 3 (BTV3) in Northern Ireland.
Minister Heydon said: “My objective has always been clear: to detect any incursion of BTV3 as early as possible, to respond as effectively as possible, and to reduce any disease impact on Irish cattle and sheep, and thus the consequences for Irish farmers, as far as possible.
"We now know that BTV3 is present on the island, following the four outbreaks detected in Co. Down, Northern Ireland.
"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, I have made the decision to permit the use of vaccination against BTV3 in Irish livestock.”
There are currently three BTV3 vaccines approved for use in the EU, and widely used in BTV3-affected countries.
Bluetongue
The minister believes that vaccination can be a useful tool to protect cattle and sheep from BTV3.
He said: "The main way this virus spreads is via midges, and we know that right now, it is too cold for this to happen in Ireland.
"The high-risk period will be summer 2026, and farmers can consider whether to use BTV3 vaccines in spring 2026 to protect their stock in advance of any midge-borne virus spread in the warmer months.
"I advise cattle and sheep farmers who are interested in BTV3 vaccination to discuss the option with their veterinary practitioner.”
DAFM plans to publish details of how to apply for a license to obtain and use BTV3 vaccines shortly.
The department has also highlighted that "the pricing and supply of BTV3 vaccines is a commercial matter" and it has no role in setting or controlling prices.
Cases
The vaccination decision comes just 24 hours after the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) said that two further suspected bluetongue cases had emerged on a fourth Co. Down farm.
Temporary control zone (TCZ) surveillance has indicated suspect cases in two cattle on a second farm near Greyabbey.
This takes the total number of suspected infected premises to four.
The discovery came as the National Reference Laboratory confirmed the bluetongue virus in the first Greyabbey case and the case on a farm near the site of the original outbreak near Bangor.
Following veterinary assessment of the latest suspect case, a decision has been taken that further extension of the TCZ is not required.
DAERA Minister Andrew Muir has described the emergence of a fourth suspect case during surveillance testing as "disappointing".
