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Guidance

Get bluetongue testing

Find out when to test vaccinated animals and how to get private testing.

Updates to this page

From:
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Animal and Plant Health Agency
Published:
12 February 2025
Last updated:
29 July 2025
Show all updates

  1. Added information about private bluetongue testing.

  2. The process to pay for private testing has been updated.

  3. Guidance has been updated to explain payment for testing.

  4. You no longer need a pre-movement test to move animals within England, now that the whole of England is in a restricted zone. We have updated the guidance to reflect this change.

  5. Added guidance on how long you should wait after vaccinating an animal before taking test samples.

  6. Updated page to clarify that anyone submitting samples for private testing should allow the laboratory at least 3 working days to complete testing from the date they receive the samples.

  7. New sections added to link to guidance for Scotland and Wales. Guidance on free testing updated to show which moves are eligible for free testing. Guidance added on how to get private movement testing.

  8. From 27 May 2025, the length of time that pre-movement test samples are valid is changing from 21 days to 10 days.

  9. We've added guidance to say that there is a maximum number of animals that can be sampled in any one day. Also if you are moving a pregnant female that was inseminated 6 months or more before the move, you will need a negative serology test as well as a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. You do not need to do post-movement tests during the seasonally vector low period.

  10. First published.

Applies to England

References to ‘animals’ means ruminants (for example, cattle, sheep, goats and deer) and camelids (for example, llamas and alpacas).

The whole of England is in a bluetongue restricted zone. This means you do not need a pre-movement test to move animals within England.

Testing bluetongue-vaccinated animals 

You should wait at least 7 days after vaccination to carry out bluetongue pre-movement sampling and testing. Any less than 7 days could lead to false positive results. 

If you are testing to check if antibodies have developed after bluetongue vaccination, you should wait at least 21 days after the vaccination course is complete before taking samples.

Private bluetongue testing

Private pre-movement testing

You must commission your own Private Veterinary surgeon (PVS) to collect samples at your cost. Guidance on collecting and sending samples can be found on Improve International and The Pirbright Institute, and must be followed if using a PVS. Samples must be submitted directly to the Pirbright Institute.

You must clearly mark on the submission form whether bluetongue PCR only or bluetongue PCR and ELISA are requested. The submission form is available on The Pirbright Institute’s website. Make sure you use the latest version.

Guidance on the required tests is available for England, Scotland and Wales.

Samples will be tested on a first come, first served basis. There is no capacity to prioritise based on proposed movement dates, or for samples to be fast-tracked. 

The laboratory does not work on weekends or bank holidays. Please check the Pirbright Institute’s opening times around holiday periods to plan your testing around them.

Care should be taken by both the licence applicant and the private veterinary surgeon when undertaking sampling to ensure that the forms are completed accurately, the sampling is undertaken correctly, and the labels are completed clearly, otherwise this could lead to delays and potential fees to correct reports.

Make sure the official animal ID is shown on the form and that the sample submission form is marked ‘pre-movement test’. Add the licence reference number, if you have it, as it will speed up issuing the licence if tests are negative.

Other types of private testing

Other types of private testing could include:

  • tests following germinal product collections
  • pre-breeding tests on rams or bulls
  • post-movement tests
  • where your private vet wants to rule out bluetongue as a possible cause of clinical signs of disease

For these and any other type of private testing, follow the same process as for private pre-movement testing, but ask your vet to clearly mark the reason for testing on the sample submission form.

Payment for testing

When The Pirbright Institute receives your sample, they will start testing it as soon as possible.

They will also send you an invoice, which you should pay as soon as possible, but this will not influence how soon the testing starts or when you will receive your results.

Getting your results  

The Pirbright Institute will email the results to you or your private vet and APHA at the same time. Do not phone The Pirbright Institute for results.

You should allow at least 3 working days for the laboratory to complete testing from the date they receive the samples.

When APHA receives your negative results they can process your licence.

Get help  

If your animal has signs of bluetongue, you may be eligible for a government funded diagnostic test. For more information and to report suspicion of disease, contact APHA:  

Telephone: 0300 020 0301 (choose option 1) 
Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm
Find out about call charges  

You can also read more information and guidance on bluetongue for keepers.

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