Bluetongue in Northumberland: What Walkers Need to Know

Short version: you can still walk. Just be a bit more careful around stock. Bluetongue poses no risk to human health or food safety, and no rights of way have been closed. But it is an anxious time for the farmers whose land we cross, and a few small habits make a real difference.

On 2 September, Northumberland County Council urged livestock keepers to stay vigilant after bluetongue was confirmed on a holding in the west of the county. Government figures published the same day list two confirmed premises in Northumberland.

It is the kind of story that generates a lot of noise and not much clarity. So here is the plain version, from people who walk this county every week and work with the farmers whose land the routes cross.

What Bluetongue Actually Is

Bluetongue is a viral disease of ruminants - sheep, cattle, goats, deer - and camelids such as alpacas and llamas. The strain confirmed in Northumberland is BTV-3.

It is spread almost entirely by biting midges. Not by boots, not by dogs, not by people.

For an infected animal it can be serious: fever, drooling, lesions in the mouth and on the tongue, facial swelling, lameness, dropped milk yield, and abortions or stillbirths. For a farmer it can mean movement restrictions, cancelled sales and a very difficult autumn.

Bluetongue is a notifiable disease. Keepers are legally required to report any suspected signs to the Animal and Plant Health Agency on 03000 200 301.

Does It Affect People or Dogs?

People: no. The council's own wording is clear - bluetongue "poses no risk to human health or food safety". You can eat the meat, drink the milk, and walk the fields.

Dogs: almost never, and only in one specific way. Government guidance says that, rarely, bluetongue can affect dogs and other carnivores if they eat infected material, such as afterbirth or aborted material. Midges do not pass it to dogs.

That is not a reason to leave the dog at home. It is a very good reason to keep your dog on a lead and out of the corner of a field where something has been born or died.

Are Footpaths Closed?

No. There are no path closures, no access restrictions and no requirement for walkers to do anything differently in law.

Worth knowing for context: the whole of England has been in a bluetongue restricted zone since earlier in the season, which is why animals can move within England without a specific licence. As of 2 September there were 795 confirmed cases across the UK this season, with the great majority in the south west. Northumberland has two.

So this is not a Northumberland crisis. It is a national picture that has now reached our county, and the local impact is real: on 29 August, organisers cancelled the sheep section at the Bellingham Show and the sheep and goat sections at the Glendale Show at Wooler, to protect local livestock.

If you were at either show and wondered why the sheep lines were empty, that is why.

Five Things Walkers Can Do This Autumn

None of these are new. They are just the ordinary courtesies of walking through working farmland, and they matter more than usual right now.

• Keep your dog on a lead around livestock. It is good practice everywhere. On Open Access land and at the coast it is a legal requirement.
• Shut the gate you found shut. Movement control is how outbreaks are contained.
• Stick to the line of the path through fields with stock, rather than cutting a diagonal that pushes animals into a corner.
• Give animals space. Walk wide and quietly, especially around anything that looks unwell or is lying apart from the group.
• Do not touch or move a sick or dead animal. Note where it is and, if it looks like nobody knows, tell the farm or the council's Trading Standards team.

The Countryside Code, in Three Lines

The Countryside Code has been built around the same three ideas since 2021, and they cover everything above:

1. Respect everyone - give wild animals, livestock and horses plenty of space, and follow local signs.
2. Protect the environment - always keep dogs under control and in sight.
3. Enjoy the outdoors - plan ahead and check what to expect before you set off.

Between 1 March and 31 July you must have your dog on a lead on Open Access land whether there is livestock present or not. That window has passed for this year, but around stock the lead rule still applies.

We wrote more on this in Stay Safe This Summer: Follow the Countryside Code.

Why This Matters to Us

Almost every Shepherds Walks event crosses land that somebody farms for a living. The Northern Pennine Way Challenge Walk registers and finishes at Linbriggs Farm near Alwinton. Our guided walks go through hill farms, over in-bye land and past flocks that represent somebody's entire year.

We get to walk there because farmers let us, and because for thirty years walkers have behaved well enough that they keep saying yes.

That is worth protecting. Especially in a season like this one.

Walk well, shut the gate, and we will see you on the hill.

Sources: Northumberland County Council, 2 September 2026; GOV.UK bluetongue guidance and latest situation, updated 2 September 2026; the Countryside Code, Natural England. Case numbers were correct at the time of writing and change weekly.