News
Keep up-to-date with the latest news.
In line with industry advice, from 12 noon on 21 September 2025, some movement restrictions will be eased for all animals vaccinated against Bluetongue Virus Serotype 3 (BTV-3) moving from the restricted zone into Wales. This change follows requests from the livestock industry and aims to support its operations while maintaining disease control.
Update from SRUC: Lymph Node Aplasia In Scottish Blackface Lambs
This condition has now been diagnosed in lambs from ten Scottish blackface flocks. Affected lambs appear healthy until they develop severe orf between the ages of two and six months. They do not respond to treatment and if they are not euthanased will continue to lose weight and die.
The Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep (SCOPS) group is excited to announce the launch of season 3 of the SCOPS podcast, with episode 1 now available on all major platforms.
APHA update: Legal position on transport of cows using shackles
We are writing to alert you to the above issue and ask that you distribute this letter to your members to remind them of the legal position regarding transport cows using shackles. We have recently sent a letter about this to all hauliers who transport cows in GB and your members may receive queries on this from their clients as many of them also deal with cattle.
What is the campaign?
Vets and vet teams care deeply about animal welfare and take pride in delivering highly skilled care for patients and clients. However, recent media and social media coverage has seen high levels of criticism unfairly levelled towards veterinary professionals, questioning their motivations and priorities.
So, we’re changing the narrative by showing the public the realities of the incredible work vets deliver daily to help animal health and welfare.
Syvazul® BTV 3 has been granted a marketing authorisation in United Kingdom for use incattle and sheep, with a reduced dose in cattle
The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway (England only) has launched the expansion to allow livestock keepers with more than one herd or flock of the same animal species to claim funding for each. This follows the expansion to multiple species funding for mixed enterprises earlier this year. Further information can be found here
For information – Gov.UK updates to various Bluetongue pages went live earlier this afternoon
Over the last few weeks APHA have been made aware of increasing reports of tick-borne disease cases in cattle and sheep. We have heard from practitioners in areas not typically associated with tick borne disease, seeing outbreaks on newly affected farms, some of which have high morbidity and/or mortality rates. This has especially been true for tick borne fever and babesiosis in cattle herds. Practitioners across GB should be aware of the clinical signs of tick-borne diseases (tick borne fever, babesiosis, louping ill, tick pyaemia) as it is likely that the geographical distribution of infection will continue to evolve with climatic and land use chan
Today (Monday 12th May) RUMA has launched a vaccines survey designed to gather insights from vets, farmers and SQPs about the vaccines shortages that have been a growing source of concern for UK livestock sectors over recent years
To mark World Animal Vaccination Day (20 April 2025) and World Immunisation Week (24–30 April 2025), NOAH is stepping up promotion of the NOAH Livestock Vaccination Guideline – practical resource to support responsible vaccination and proactive animal health planning on UK dairy, beef, and sheep farms.
Nine years since the publication of its landmark Animal Welfare Strategy, the British Veterinary Association (BVA) celebrates major steps forward in animal welfare and details a new set of priorities in its new report, ‘BVA Animal Welfare Strategy – Evaluation and Next Steps’.