15 July 2025: Potential increased disease risks related to the hot and dry weather
Published 28 November 2025
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/alerts-for-vets-emerging-and-endemic-disease-alert-system-eedas/15-july-2025-potential-increased-disease-risks-related-to-the-hot-and-dry-weather
Situation
In conjunction with the period of prolonged hot weather impacting on forage levels and quality, there is an increased risk of certain infectious and non-infectious diseases also.
Details
An APHA veterinary investigation centre (VIC) and a partner postmortem provider have both recently diagnosed mortality due to Hemlock Water Dropwort poisoning.
The tubers of this plant (known as dead man’s fingers) can become exposed when the levels of watercourses drop, or when soil is disturbed or eroded. A shortage of grass can also lead to the ingestion of this and other toxic plants such as bracken fern and ragwort.
The APHA surveillance network has also recently diagnosed cases of blackleg and have had other cases reported to us. Soil erosion, and hot dry weather, can both be risk factors for clostridial disease and for anthrax.
Anthrax, blackleg, and plant poisonings should all be considered as differential diagnoses in acute onset illness and mortality cases in ruminants out at grass.
It is advisable to check pasture for these risk factors and consider moving animals, fencing off high risk areas, and vaccinating for clostridial disease.
Further information
Find further information on anthrax: guidance, data and analysis.
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