The LAA welcomes easing of Bluetongue restrictions across England and Wales

The Livestock Auctioneers’ Association (LAA) has welcomed the announcement that England and Wales will now operate as a single Bluetongue BTV-3 Restricted Zone (RZ) from 10 November, easing cross-border trading for farmers and auction markets after months of disruption.

While the industry remains cautious, with hopes that no further Bluetongue variants develop significantly in spring 2026, the LAA recognises this as a positive step towards restoring confidence and normal trading activity across the regions.

Speaking after the LAA AGM, attended by over 30 members, there was clear recognition of the significant impact of Bluetongue and the movement restrictions on the industry, alongside a shared call for improved contingency planning going forward.

Matthew Nicholls, director of Sunderlands Marts and Wales LAA vice chair, said: “We welcome these changes, but the impact of the restricted movements has been colossal. We’re around 15,000 sheep down because of Bluetongue, that’s thousands fewer breeding ewes and significant losses in throughput.” Matthew manages Marts on both sides of the English/Welsh border, including Hereford, Builth Wells and Talgarth.

“Farmers have sold direct from the farm and Welsh buyers haven’t been able to purchase from England, creating a two-tier trade. Prices in Builth Wells were up to £100 a head higher than in England simply because Welsh farmers were forced to buy from a smaller breeding pool,” explains Matthew. 

“The cost to our business runs into hundreds of thousands of pounds. We’ve had to double our workforce to run two sales on the same day - one in England and one in Wales - splitting 9,000 sheep between Hereford and Builth instead of holding one sale under one roof. It’s been a logistical nightmare and mental strain for everyone involved.”

He added that while the industry welcomes the easing of restrictions, the timing has come too late for this year: “Scotland showed foresight by easing restrictions in September. While nobody wants Bluetongue, the negative economic impact has far outweighed any perceived risk. Hundreds of thousands of pounds have been lost across the industry, and it’s been a devastating autumn for markets, auctioneers and farmers alike. Now we need to focus on recovery, rebuilding trade and confidence, and ensuring we never face such hard borders again.”

Charlotte Baxter of Thame Mart said the Shearwell Thame Summer Sheep Fair was significantly affected by the restrictions.

“For the last 20 years, more than 3,000 of the breeding sheep sold have been bought by Welsh farmers, mainly into North Wales. This year, that number was zero. The Thame sale gives Welsh farmers the chance to secure early breeding stock, and without that, we could see a shortage of lambs next spring. Farmers in Wales also had to pay considerably more for stock as they couldn’t buy from their usual English outlets. As a market, we now face a major rebuilding process to encourage those buyers back in the years ahead.”

Ted Ogden, auctioneer at Skipton, also highlighted the wider cross-border impact: 

“We regularly sell sheep to Welsh farmers because of the grazing opportunities there, and many Welsh farmers come to England to buy. This year, those movements stopped. It’s had a huge effect on northern trade, and sheep that would normally move south into Wales for finishing simply couldn’t. That’s not just bad for farmers, but for the entire network of northern marts.”

The LAA confirmed that it continues to work closely with the Scottish Government to ensure restrictions between England and Scotland remain manageable. Trading with Scotland remains relatively straightforward at this time of the year, but conditions could change in spring, potentially increasing virus risk.

The Association has stressed the importance of a coordinated UK-wide approach to disease control and communication, ensuring that farmers and markets are not left to shoulder the burden of fragmented decision-making.

“We must learn from this,” LAA Executive Secretary Chris Dodds said. “The economic and emotional toll has been immense. The easing of restrictions is a welcome relief - but we now need consistent, collaborative policy to protect both animal health and the livelihoods of farming communities.”