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 is taking to improve testing capacity for blue tongue.

Defra has taken proactive steps to strengthen the national capacity for the testing of bluetongue in response to increased demand. Testing is now also being undertaken by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) at Weybridge alongside the National Reference Laboratory at The Pirbright Institute, helping to manage high sample volumes and support timely results.

A new online reporting form will be launched on Friday 11 September, which makes it easier and quicker for vets to report suspect cases and clinical signs directly to APHA. This will allow private vets to diagnose bluetongue after examining affected animals, with cases formally confirmed by APHA at a premises level.