Great Britain’s bluetongue disease status will change from its current Bluetongue 8 Low Risk Zone to that of Free from Bluetongue (without vaccination) with effect from 5 July 2011.

The impact of this change of status means that from this date:

• vaccination against bluetongue virus will no longer be permitted in Great Britain
• there will no longer be any specific bluetongue conditions for exports of susceptible livestock (including to Northern Ireland)
  from Great Britain.

There is no change to the rules for imports into Great Britain from countries/areas that remain within bluetongue restricted zones. A map and table of bluetongue restricted zones can be found on the EUROPA website.

Bluetongue susceptible animals from these areas will need to continue to meet the conditions set out at Annex III of EC Regulation 1266/2007, unless they are moves directly to slaughter. This is important as it will ensure that the bluetongue virus does not return to the country through moves from these areas. The conditions most likely to be used for such imports would be:

• vaccination plus 60 day wait
• vaccination plus a test 14 days after onset of immunity
• booster vaccination within time period of immunity

A copy of the Bluetongue Regulations can be found on the EUROPA website

Post-import testing for bluetongue virus (BTV) of all serotypes will continue on a risk-assessed basis.

The 5 July 2011 date has been set in order for livestock keepers who wish to do so to purchase vaccine and vaccinate their livestock before this is prohibited.

There has been no evidence of BTV circulating in Great Britain since 2007 and there have been no positive cases found as a result of post import testing since 2008. The numbers of cases of the disease in other EU member states has also fallen significantly throughout 2009 and 2010 (there are currently no reports of any active BTV circulation within northern EU Member States) and information received suggests that sales of BTV vaccine in Great Britain are very low.

Remaining within a Low Risk Zone (LRZs) could potentially pose an enhanced risk of reintroduction of disease via free movements from other confluent BTV8 LRZs in Europe, and would also mean that Great Britain would have to undertake further ongoing surveillance to satisfy the requirements of a LRZ.