Farmers are being reminded of their legal obligations around suspected cases of bluetongue, as well as mandatory notification of abortion or premature calving.
It follows reports of aborted calves or new born calves showing weakness, ill thrift and brain deformities – which later died or were euthanised.
Upon veterinary inspection by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), these calves were confirmed positive for bluetongue virus (BTV-3).
As such, farmers are being reminded by the NFU of the clinical signs of the virus, as well as their legal obligations around suspected cases.
Countries in the European Union are also seeing similar issues with calves, according to the union.
Bluetongue is a notifiable disease – this means that any animal keeper who suspects BTV-3 in their animals must report that suspicion to APHA.
There is, therefore, a legal duty to report any abortions or deformed calves under the Bluetongue (No. 2) Order 2007 and the Bluetongue (No. 2) (Wales) Order 2007.
The total number of bluetongue cases confirmed in Britain during the 2024 to 2025 vector season now stands at 201.
In new guidance published today (4 February), the NFU urges all cattle keepers to report any abortions or premature, deformed, ill-thrifting calves to APHA.
The union says: "These clinical impacts on new borne or aborted calves is an indication of infection in the dam during early second trimester of pregnancy, so these early cases indicate infection during Sept-Oct 2024.
"We don’t know yet what the next few weeks of spring calving and lambing will ‘look like’ for animal keepers, but this development in the clinical picture is concerning."
Cattle keepers also have a duty to report abortions under the Brucellosis (England) Order 2015 and the Brucellosis (Wales) Order 2006.
Abortions and brain deformities can also indicate the previous presence of other diseases, such as the non-notifiable schallenberg virus (SBV).
