The Veterinary Medicines Directorate has now granted marketing authorisation to two of the three vaccines permitted for use in the UK. Usage is only permitted with a valid licence or declaration.
A general licence is available for livestock keepers in England and Wales:
- England – GOV.UK | General licence for bluetongue serotype 3 (BTV-3) vaccine
- Wales – GOV.WALES | General Licence for Using Inactivated Bluetongue 3 Vaccine
This general licence has been available for all English counties since 18 October 2024. In Wales, the licence became available from 1 March.
From 30 April 2025, the Scottish Government has allowed the voluntary use of approved BTV-3 vaccines in Scotland. The declaration with the conditions for vaccination can be found at: GOV.SCOT: Bluetongue: declaration
If you intend to vaccinate your animals you must comply with the legal conditions of that general licence, including reporting your use within 48 hours of the date of vaccination by completing an online form.
Further information on BTV-3 vaccines, including permits and licences, can be found on GOV.UK | Bluetongue serotype 3 (BTV-3) vaccination
Northern Ireland has not licensed the use of BTV-3 vaccines but will keep this position under review.
All movement controls and trade restrictions still apply to BTV-3 vaccinated animals.
Vaccinated animals can still move into Scotland or Wales if they are moving from a bluetongue disease-free area. However, vaccinated animals within a bluetongue zone (for example, a restricted zone or temporary control zone) are subject to the same movement controls as unvaccinated animals.
You should not test vaccinated animals as part of a pre-movement test in bluetongue zones until at least seven days after their vaccination. This will prevent interference with BTV-3 monitoring.
Find out more at:
- GOV.UK | Bluetongue serotype 3 (BTV-3) vaccine: information for keepers
- GOV.WALES | Welsh Government approves Bluetongue vaccines licence for voluntary use
- GOV.SCOT | Bluetongue: How to control the disease
How the vaccines work
Defra has stressed that, unlike other BTV vaccines, these three available vaccines are suppressive, not preventative. This means they will not prevent your animals from being infected or being infectious, although they may reduce the clinical signs experienced.
Therefore all movement controls and trade restrictions in place will still apply to vaccinated animals.
Farmers will need to contact their private vet if they want to use any of the available BTV-3 vaccines.
They will need a written prescription from a vet and the vaccine will need to be supplied by the vet. It can be administered by the farmer providing a medicine record is maintained and made available for inspection. Animals must be permanently marked with official IDs.
Vets will need to inform Defra on a weekly basis of the number of doses prescribed and the number of farms to allow Defra to monitor the uptake.
Information on BTV-3 vaccines including the SPCs (summaries of product characteristics, permits and licences can be accessed at: GOV.UK | BTV-3 vaccine permits.
The general licence for using the inactivated BTV-3 vaccine in England can be found at: GOV.UK | General licence for bluetongue serotype 3 (BTV-3) vaccine.
If you’re considering vaccination, Defra recommends you start the conversation with your private vet as soon as possible.
It is important that you consider the timings of any vaccination programme and what your future animal movements or buying and selling policy will be.
Members should keep regularly checking our bluetongue essential information page for the latest news and updates.
Ever-changing situation
Responding to the news at the time, NFU President Tom Bradshaw said: “The announcement of an emergency authorisation for the BTV-3 vaccines is an important step.”
Tom said that while the vaccines “make no claim to reduce infectivity, they do appear to reduce mortality and the severity of clinical signs – they will suppress the virus, not prevent it”.
“So, while they won’t stop animals from becoming infected, they could reduce the impact of the disease on individual animals and therefore provide an animal welfare benefit.”
Tom urged livestock keepers to remain vigilant and report concerns quickly to their vet or the APHA. The NFU recommends that farmers wishing to use the vaccine seek advice from their farm vet.
He added: “We also encourage all livestock keepers to comply with any APHA testing requests. The NFU is continuing to work closely with Defra and APHA to ensure that licences to permit movements within the Restricted Zone are available to farmers.”
These vaccines are being used in mainland Europe against BTV-3. These are unlicensed medicines but have been approved in the EU for emergency use.
For more information, visit: GOV.UK | BTV-3 vaccine permits.
