Bluetongue case confirmed in Wexford
There are currently three BTV-3 vaccines approved for use in Ireland.
A new case of bluetongue has been confirmed in a heifer in Co Wexford, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has confirmed.
Bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3) was discovered in an unvaccinated 16-month-old heifer during a post-mortem examination. No clinical signs were detected prior to the death of the animal.
It marks the first BTV-3 case arising from infection during Ireland’s current bluetongue vector season.
BTV-3 was previously confirmed in 11 herds in the Republic of Ireland during early 2026. Those infections were believed to have occurred following an incursion of infected midges in late autumn 2025.
A spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) said: “This indicates the importance of submitting unexplained mortalities to the Department’s Regional Veterinary Laboratories.
“The Department would like to remind farmers who have not vaccinated that they should talk to their private veterinary practitioner in deciding whether vaccination is appropriate for their herd.
Bluetongue is a virus that can be spread to cattle, sheep and other ruminants by midges, through transplacental infection of pregnant animals and through germinal products such as semen.
BTV-3 is currently circulating extensively in Great Britain. There are reports of multiple cases with a variety of clinical signs, including mortalities in cattle and sheep, with cases remaining concentrated in southwest England and Wales. There have also been recent detections in Scotland.
The latest UK Government update confirmed that there have been 856 outbreaks of the strain in the UK during the 2026–2027 bluetongue season.
A case is defined as a premises on which at least one bluetongue-positive animal has been confirmed, meaning the total number of infected animals is likely to be much higher.
So far, 748 cases have been confirmed in England, with the deaths of dozens of sheep on premises linked to the disease; 88 cases have been confirmed in Wales and 20 in Scotland, while none have yet been recorded in Northern Ireland.
A spokesperson for DAFM explained there are no public health risks associated with bluetongue. Bluetongue does not affect human health or food safety; meat and milk remain safe to eat and drink.
There are currently three BTV-3 vaccines approved for use in Ireland.
