Farmers in Ireland will be in a position to vaccinate their animals for bluetongue virus in 2026, following last week’s announcement that Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon had approved the use of three vaccines. The announcement came after a fourth outbreak of the virus was detected on a farm in Co Down.

Minister Heydon stated that the latest cases “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 three vaccines licensed for Bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV3) which are permitted for use across Europe, with farmers in Northern Ireland already free to vaccinate animals if they wish to do so. Minister Heydon is encouraging farmers interested in BTV3 vaccination to discuss their options with their veterinary practitioner, who will need to supply the vaccine.

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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.”

A license to obtain and use BTV3 vaccine will be required and the procedure for obtaining such will be published on the Department’s website at www.gov.ie/bluetongue in the coming days. This will include providing tag numbers of animals being vaccinated.

Vaccine overview

The table below gives an overview of vaccine properties with the information taken from the summary of product characteristics published for the vaccines on the Veterinary Medicines Directory. Vaccine uptake has been central to dealing with outbreaks of the virus across Europe, but has been relatively low in the UK – estimated at just 20% to 30%.

Speaking at a recent bluetongue virus information evening in Northern Ireland, Mike Reynolds of CVS Veterinary Business said the low uptake was likely due to the outbreaks occurring in areas with a low presence of livestock. Reynolds stated that the vaccines are safe to use and work.

He added that there are some issues to be sorted around product labels with some of these due to the fact that vaccines are relatively new to the market and, as such, it is still early for manufacturers to publish certain claims.

For example, he said that the safety of the vaccine is not established in breeding males. This, he says, has led to some suggestions of fertility issues, but noted that these were false.

The duration of immunity has also not been established, but is thought to be at least 12 months. Reynolds said that the Bultavo-3 vaccine is the one being sold by CVS, adding that it is the most commonly used vaccine.

The Scottish Government has highlighted the vaccine as reducing viremia (spread of the virus) and clinical symptoms. Cost is expected to be in the region of €3.25/shot to upwards of €4.50.

Further information on bluetongue, including clinical signs and how to report a suspect outbreak, can be found at www.gov.ie/bluetongue.