Bluetongue restriction zone extended further in Norfolk and Suffolk as three more cases emerge

A bluetongue control zone has been extended in Norfolk and Suffolk as three more cases have emerged.

Bluetongue - which is not dangerous to humans but could affect livestock - has now been confirmed in three more animals on two new premises in the two counties.

It follows the first case this summer on a sheep at a farm in Haddiscoe in Norfolk.

According to the Department for Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), a temporary control zone (TCZ) has been put in place around the new affected farms which will restrict movements of susceptible animals.

All three animals will be humanely culled to minimise the risk of onward transmission, said Defra.

What is bluetongue, how does it spread and why are farmers worried?

Between November 2023 and March 2024 there were 126 cases in the UK, centred around Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Kent.

The spring and summer are seen as the more active seasons for the virus because of the prevalence of midges - who spread the virus.

It does not affect people, and meat and milk from infected livestock are safe to eat and drink.

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