National Sheep Association (NSA) is encouraging sheep farmers to read two newly published sources of bluetongue guidance before tupping begins, and to treat unverified advice circulating on farm and online with caution. Misinformation leads to decisions that can have negative impacts on a farm business. Using information from trusted sources, ensures that farmers can make informed decisions with greater confidence.

The sources farmers can trust on ram fertility:

1. A set of fact checks by the AHDB on the Ruminant Health and Welfare bluetongue virus hub.
2. Update to the Sheep Veterinary Society guidelines on breeding soundness checks for rams, which sets out the damage the virus can do to ram fertility and how far ahead of mating rams should be assessed.

Both are free to read and neither requires membership of any organisation. The fact checks are at ruminanthw.org.uk/bluetongue-virus-hub and the ram guidance is in the knowledge hub at sheepvetsoc.org.uk

Anyone buying a ram this autumn to take into Scotland faces a further change. From Thursday 10 September 2026, susceptible animals moving into Scotland to live from a bluetongue restricted zone in England, Wales, Northern Ireland or the Isle of Man must have completed an authorised bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3) vaccination course, with 21 days elapsed since completion. Vaccination therefore must be planned backwards from the sale date rather than arranged after it, and buyers should confirm the current position with the Scottish Government before travelling, as these rules have changed several times this season.

Phil Stocker, NSA Chief Executive, says: "Bluetongue has moved quickly this year, and the questions coming into the NSA office show how much conflicting advice is going around. Rams are where poor information costs the most, because a fertility problem picked up in September does not show itself until scanning, and by then nothing can be done. The guidance published in the last fortnight is written by vets, it is free, and it takes 20 minutes to read. That is a good use of 20 minutes at this time of year."

NSA is carrying both sets of guidance through, the NSA Weekly Email Update and NSA social media channels through the tupping period. NSA is encouraging farmers to raise vaccination, ram assessment and any planned movement into Scotland at their next vet visit rather than waiting for a problem to appear.