The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has confirmed that an unvaccinated 16-month-old heifer has tested positive for bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3) on postmortem examination.

The herd is in Co. Wexford, and no clinical signs were detected prior to the death of the animal.

This is the first case of BTV-3 detected in Ireland where infection occurred in 2026. This indicates the importance of submitting unexplained mortalities to the Department’s Regional Veterinary Laboratories.

The Department would like to remind farmers that have not vaccinated that they should talk to their private veterinary practitioner in deciding whether vaccination is appropriate for their herd. It is still worth considering vaccination against BTV-3 at this stage. Vaccination remains the most effective measure against the disease.

placeholder image — This is the first case of BTV-3 detected in Ireland where infection occurred in 2026.

BTV-3 is currently circulating extensively in Great Britain. 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.