Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she has taken in response to recent reports of Blue Tongue Disease being detected in Northern Ireland.

Disease control is a devolved matter and it is for the Devolved Governments to assess the disease risks and impacts in relation to their national herds, alongside the impacts of controls, and respond accordingly. Defra works closely with the Devolved Governments with the aim of providing, where possible, a consistent and coordinated response across the UK.

Following the first suspected bluetongue case in Northern Ireland on 28 November 2025, Defra is working with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to review policy regarding movement of bluetongue susceptible animals between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.