Guidance

General licence for bluetongue serotype 3 (BTV-3) vaccine

Licence conditions of the general licence in England.

Applies to England

You must report your use of the BTV-3 vaccine before vaccinating any animals. It is against the law to use the vaccine without reporting it.

General licence for using inactivated bluetongue 3 vaccine in England


General licence for using inactivated bluetongue 3 vaccine in England

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Advisory note for veterinarians

Vets should read the Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO)’s advisory note before prescribing any BTV-3 vaccine.

When you should use this licence

Three BTV-3 vaccines have been permitted for use. Two of these BTV-3 vaccines have been granted a marketing authorisation by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), and the third is unauthorised.

You do not need to apply for this general licence, but you must meet its conditions and follow its instructions when vaccinating any animal with the BTV-3 vaccine, including reporting vaccine use.

This general licence only allows vaccination in England. There is a separate general licence for Wales and a declaration for Scotland. Northern Ireland have not licensed the use of vaccination for BTV-3 but will keep this position under review.

You can read more about BTV-3 vaccine rules, limitations and permits.

Get help

For help with this form, email btv3vaccine@defra.gov.uk

Updates to this page

Published 14 February 2025
Last updated 30 April 2025 show all updates
  1. Two BTV-3 vaccines have been granted marketing authorisation by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate. Unauthorised vaccines can continue to be imported into Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) until October 2025. You can continue to use unauthorised vaccines under permit until their expiry date, as long as they were bought on the British market.

  2. First published.

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