Impact of Bluetongue Virus on Movements / Exports from NI

Further detail is available on specific commodity pages, however exporters will wish to be aware of the following in particular:

Live Animals - Changes in effect from Friday 6th March 2026

Live cattle/sheep/goats/deer/camelids to the EU

• Ireland have published a derogation which permits movement for B&P without additional Bluetongue requirements so long as NI only has BTV3.
• Exports for breeding & production to other EU member States MAY be possible if the Member State is not BTV Free and allows derogations from BTV requirements. Published derogations can be viewed here Bluetongue - Food Safety - European Commission(external link opens in a new window / tab) Please check well in advance of the export and if unsure check with us by e-mailing daeratradeexports@daera-ni.gov.uk
• Exports to all Member States for direct slaughter can continue. Exporters should note that 48-hour pre-notification is required.

Live cattle/sheep/goats/deer/camelids to GB:

• Exports to England and Wales from all of Northern Ireland are permitted as per usual pre-Bluetongue requirements.  
• Exports to Scotland from all of Northern Ireland require additional Bluetongue   attestations. Please see individual GB Export pages for more details.  Follow the links through Live Animals Exports to individual species pages.

Live cattle/sheep/goats/camelids to rest of world – Export will depend on individual country requirements, Please check the Health Information and Notes for Guidance of the relevant Export Health Certificate, as applicable. Please e-mail query to DAERA if unsure.

Germinal Products

Germinal Products – Movements of germinal products of cattle/sheep/goats out of Northern Ireland to GB are affected by Bluetongue restrictions depending on the date of collection and the destination of the germinal products .

Donor animals will need to be blood tested before, during and / or at the time of collection, and in some cases after collection. This does not apply to historical stocks of germinal products collected up to and including 29 September 2025.

Further information can be found at Impact of Bluetongue Virus on Movements / Exports of Germinal Product from NI | Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs

Further information on germinal products exports is available on the commodity page: Germinal Products

Product of Animal Origin for Human Consumption 

Movements of milk, meat, and milk and meat products originating in Northern Ireland are unaffected and can continue to take place as usual.  Exporters will need to consult third country Export Health Certificates to ensure there are no Bluetongue restrictions for these commodities. 

Queries – please direct any queries to daeratradeexports@daera-ni.gov.uk 

NOTE: DUE TO THE VOLUME OF QUERIES CALLS MAY NOT BE ANSWERED, PLEASE USE E-MAIL TO CONTACT US. This mailbox is monitored during business hours, Monday to Friday. Please note that this is a rapidly developing situation and we will endeavour to deal with your email as soon as possible.