A case of the bluetongue virus has been found in a cattle herd in Co Wexford, the Department of Agriculture has said.
The disease, spread by midges, has a high mortality rate among animals but does not affect humans. It can cause severe illness in livestock and deformities in newborns.
In January, the State’s first confirmed case of the disease was recorded in Co Wexford. It led to China suspending imports of Irish beef. The disease is not contagious, but a midge that bites an infected animal will spread it to the next animal it bites.
Regarding the latest case, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine said on Friday that an unvaccinated 16-month-old heifer had tested positive for bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3) during a postmortem. It said no clinical signs were detected before the animal’s death and this was “the first case of BTV-3 detected in Ireland where infection occurred in 2026”.
The department said the case highlighted “the importance of submitting unexplained mortalities” to its regional veterinary laboratories. It said farmers who have not vaccinated their herds should talk to their veterinary practitioner as it is the most effective measure in protecting against the disease.
“BTV-3 is currently circulating extensively in Great Britain,” the department said. “There are reports of multiple cases with a variety of clinical signs including mortalities in cattle and sheep, with cases remaining concentrated in southwest England and Wales. There also has been recent detections in Scotland.”
Bluetongue is so called because one of the signs can be swollen mouths and tongues. If that symptom does not occur, many of the other effects, such as fever, loss of appetite, drop in milk yield and lameness, are similar to other diseases, making diagnosis not immediately obvious.
After first being detected in the Netherlands in September 2023, bluetongue has since spread across mainland Europe and Britain. The first case on the island of Ireland was found in Co Down last November.