The worst bluetongue season on record has been a major animal welfare crisis in Great Britain, MPs have been told, putting farmers under “severe emotional stress”.

Bluetongue, a viral disease that affects sheep, cattle and goats, can cause fever, lesions, stillbirths and death. The tongue may go blue and protrude from the mouth.

The virus, which originated in Africa and is transmitted via biting midges, has spread to Europe over the past two decades, a development the World Organisation for Animal Health links to climate breakdown. The strain of bluetongue currently affecting livestock, serotype 3 (BTV-3), was first found in England in 2023.

The 2025-26 season has been the worst on record .…