New areas added to bluetongue restricted zone
Bluetongue is a notifiable disease.
The bluetongue restricted zone has been extended to include additional parts of Berkshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire after new cases of bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3) were confirmed in Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.
The new case were discovered close to the previous boundary of the restricted zone.
The zone now covers Bedfordshire, part of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, City of Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, East Sussex, Essex, Greater London, part of Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, part of Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, part of North Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, part of Oxfordshire, Suffolk, Surrey, part of Warwickshire, West Sussex, and part of Wiltshire.
As of 11 December, the total number of BTV-3 cases during the 2024/25 vector season is 173 in England and two in Wales.
Susceptible animals in the restricted zone must only be moved if it is absolutely essential. A specific licence is required to move a susceptible animal from inside the restricted zone to outside it.
Bluetongue is a notifiable disease. Suspected cases must be reported on 03000 200 301 in England or 03003 038 268 in Wales. In Scotland, suspected cases should be reported to the local field services office. Suspected cases in Northern Ireland should be reported to the DAERA Helpline on 0300 200 7840 or by contacting the local DAERA Direct Veterinary Office.
A map of the area where movement restrictions apply can be found here.
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With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.
