Vets raise concerns over new bluetongue reporting system

Vets in England have warned that changes to bluetongue case reporting could have unintended consequences for disease surveillance.

Changes introduced by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (Apha) on Friday (11 September) allow vets in England to report suspected clinical cases of bluetongue through an online service, eliminating the need to submit blood samples for laboratory testing.

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) said the system had been introduced at “very short notice” as vets support farmers through the ongoing bluetongue serotype 3 (BTV-3) outbreak.

There have now been 1,081 confirmed BTV-3 cases – premises with at least one positive animal – in the 2026-27 season, including 943 in England, 114 in Wales and 24 in Scotland.

A further 1,862 potential cases are under investigation across Great Britain.

BVA junior vice-president Dr Gwen Rees said vets had been working “tirelessly” during an unprecedented outbreak.

While the association was “pleased that some of our initial questions have been addressed”, she said: “We do, however, remain concerned about possible unintended consequences and we’ll closely monitor the impact of these changes on our members and their clients, and any increased risk to disease surveillance.”

The changes come amid heavy pressure on bluetongue testing, with vets reporting waits of about five weeks for laboratory results.

Apha said the online system, available only to vets in England, was intended to streamline reporting and speed up its response to suspected cases.

Existing telephone reporting and testing routes remain available where vets are uncertain, and the new system is not available for vets in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.