Okehampton Show will go ahead on Thursday without any cattle, sheep or goats, as organisers respond to a rapid rise in bluetongue cases across Devon and Cornwall. The decision marks a significant change from last year's event, when livestock formed a central part of the show, and reflects growing concern among farmers and show organisers about the spread of the disease.
Show organiser Selina Barrow said the animal sections had been withdrawn after extensive consultation with vets, describing the situation as fast-moving and difficult for local farming communities.
It's been a really difficult time for local farmers.
Why did organisers withdraw the animal sections?
Organisers considered several alternatives before deciding to remove cattle, sheep and goats from the show entirely. Barrow explained that the team looked at options including allowing only vaccinated sheep to attend or scaling back to a much smaller, purely local event.
We've worked through lots of different scenarios as to ways that we could keep the cattle and sheep and goat sections going, such as only bringing vaccinated sheep or putting on a really reduced, very local show. But, we thought because the situation is ever-changing and the volume of cases was just increasing exponentially, that the best thing for us to do for this year was to withdraw our cattle sheep in eight sections.
Barrow said the show's usual scale made the risk too great, given how many exhibitors would have travelled from outside the immediate area.
We felt because we have a big cattle and sheep section, that bringing people in from quite far out of area, just wouldn't have been the best thing for us to do while it's still a new and emerging situation, and we're still learning all about it.
How widespread is the outbreak in the South West?
According to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, there were confirmed cases at 202 premises in Devon and 77 in Cornwall by early August. This figure differs from an earlier Defra count cited alongside the story, which put the Devon total at 190 cases; both figures are reported here as they appear in official reporting. Nationally, 353 cases of bluetongue serotype 3 (BTV3) had been recorded across the UK during the 2026/27 season, the majority of them in south-west England.
Further detail from government guidance shows the outbreak's scale in more depth: as of the latest update, there were 1,563 potential cases under investigation in England, alongside the confirmed BTV-3 total of 353 across the UK — comprising 344 cases in England, 8 in Wales, 1 in Scotland and none yet in Northern Ireland, according to government guidance. The same guidance records 648 sheep, 137 cattle and one llama affected across the UK this season.
Officials have pointed to weather conditions as a likely driver of the surge. Hot, humid conditions have favoured midge populations, which transmit the virus, according to the Animal and Plant Health Agency, which is urging livestock keepers to speak to their vets about vaccination. The whole of England has now been placed under a bluetongue restricted zone, with tighter rules governing the movement of animals and germinal products.
What is bluetongue and how does it spread?
Bluetongue is spread by biting insects and typically affects cattle, sheep and goats. It poses no risk to human health or food safety, but it can cause high mortality in infected sheep and fertility problems in infected cattle. The disease is classed as notifiable in Great Britain, meaning any suspected case must be reported to the Animal and Plant Health Agency, according to a government surveillance report. The current vector season, which frames the period used for official case counts, began on 1 July 2025.
Okehampton's decision echoes an earlier move by organisers of the Launceston Agricultural Show, who withdrew cattle and sheep from their event in July for similar reasons. The disruption to livestock shows has coincided with wider difficulties for farmers dealing with the outbreak; one Devon farmer previously described feeling isolated as suspected bluetongue spread through her flock, with 92 positive cases recorded in England by the end of July. The disease has also continued to spread geographically, with Scotland confirming its first case in a lamb in Dumfries and Galloway as the UK-wide total passed 330.
What happens next?
Okehampton Show is set to proceed as planned on Thursday, without any cattle, sheep or goat classes, according to the original report. Organisers say they will continue to monitor the outbreak in consultation with vets and may revisit the decision for future events depending on how the situation develops.
Key Facts
- Okehampton Show will exclude cattle, sheep and goats from its Thursday event.
- Devon has 202 confirmed bluetongue premises and Cornwall has 77, per Defra; an earlier figure cited 190 for Devon.
- 353 UK cases of BTV-3 have been recorded this season, with 1,563 further potential cases under investigation in England.
- 648 sheep, 137 cattle and one llama have been affected across the UK in 2026-27.
- All of England is now under a bluetongue restricted zone with tighter animal movement rules.
