23 Oct 2026
David Black said he is “terrified” FMD has returned to the UK while Sheila Voas warned against complacency due to the diseases’ similar signs.
Chris Simpson
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Image: prabowo / Adobe Stock
A senior cattle vet has expressed fear that foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) may have returned to the UK amid the ongoing bluetongue outbreak.
Speaking in a panel session at BCVA Congress, outgoing association president David Black said the similarities in signs between the diseases could mean FMD has entered the country unnoticed.
He said: “We’ve got to get on top of this, because I’m terrified we do have foot-and-mouth.
“I saw foot-and-mouth first-hand. If somebody said to me, ‘There’s two sheep, which one’s BTV and which one’s foot-and-mouth?’ I’m not sure I could put my hand up and tell you to be honest, it could be either and so that terrifies me.
“It could be here now and we’re not going to pick it up because it’s being masked by something else.”
A total of 3,412 cases of BTV-3 have been confirmed in the UK, with a further 59 potential cases still under investigation.
During the panel, Sheep Veterinary Society past-president Fiona Lovatt revealed more than 20,000 sheep are estimated to have died during the outbreak and between 110,000 and 175,000 have required treatment.
Defra updated its FMD control strategy last year after cases of that disease were discovered across Europe.
Discussing bluetongue’s status as a notifiable disease, Scotland CVO Sheila Voas said there is an element of “triage” with it, because “the signs could mask the first case of foot-and-mouth; the signs are very similar in some cases, and so we mustn’t become complacent”.
The panel was asked if bluetongue being notifiable has been a help or a hindrance during the outbreak.
BCVA board director Laura Roberts responded: “It’s made people sit up and think and, to begin with, get it reported, which I think was useful – we got the numbers out there straight away, the government were involved.”
But she also argued it has “definitely been a hindrance in the testing capacity” by causing delays in lab testing
Dr Voas added: “I think it’s a help and a hindrance. It’s helpful in that it has got publicity, but it’s a hindrance because some people then think it’s just [on] the government to deal with.”
She said lab backlogs are “resolving”, acknowledged APHA efforts to streamline reporting and suggested that while it will remain notifiable, its status could be made more “light touch”.
Dr Voas also expressed disappointment at bluetongue vaccine uptake levels and said she feels she’s “bashing my head against a brick wall” trying to spread the vaccination message.
The panel encouraged vets to start discussing the ongoing impacts of the outbreak amid what is hoped to be a quieter period over the winter.
Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board head of communications Jennifer Morgan said: “It really, really doesn’t look very pleasant at all [next year]. Fear needs to come into this now, and I think that might be the motivator.”
Beef farmer Mark Jelley called for “consistent and constant” messaging, while Sheep Veterinary Society past-president Phillipa Page added it “will be useful that everyone is clear in the messaging. There’s an onus to get the right information out there and the risk, so that we’re then a bit more confident in how we advise”.