11/08/2026
Bluetongue - not our usual cheery post
It’s something I wish we didn’t have to be talking about, but the threat of it reaching Scotland is very real, and for us, it’s something we are taking extremely seriously.
For those who don’t know, bluetongue is a virus spread mainly by biting midges. It affects sheep and cattle and, particularly in sheep, it can cause very serious illness and death. In cattle it can cause illness and fertility problems.
It doesn’t affect people or the safety of the food we produce, but for livestock farmers the consequences could be devastating.
And this is where I think it’s important to explain just how much work goes on behind the scenes to keep disease off a farm like ours.
We have a closed herd and flock. That means we don’t buy animals in. The only exception is our breeding males, and they spend a long period in quarantine before they are allowed anywhere near our animals.
We work very closely with our vet and regularly blood test our livestock. We have worked incredibly hard over many years to build a high-health herd and flock and to eradicate disease from our farm. We are very proud of that.
Because of this, we are extremely careful about what comes onto the farm and what our animals come into contact with.
If our livestock are grazing close to somebody else’s, we double fence them. We can’t simply put our animals straight onto grass that other livestock have grazed. Finding new grass for them can therefore be surprisingly difficult, but protecting the health of our herd and flock is more important.
We have strict biosecurity measures in place and we are constantly looking at what more we can do.
And now we have bluetongue to worry about.
The difficulty with bluetongue is that it is spread by midges. We can be incredibly careful about what animals come onto the farm, where they have been and what they have been in contact with, but we can't control a tiny insect flying onto our land.
That is what makes this so frightening.
For us, our livestock aren't just numbers on a spreadsheet. They are years of breeding, careful selection, investment and an enormous amount of work. They are the foundation of our farm and our livelihood.
And ultimately, they are the animals we care for every single day.
We are watching the situation very closely, listening to our vet and following the advice from the animal health authorities. We will do everything within our power to protect our animals.
One thing that could really help is a good cold winter. Cold weather and frost reduce midge activity and survival, which can help to interrupt the spread of the virus.
So for once, we’ll be hoping for a proper Scottish winter. ❄️
Fingers and toes crossed for some frost. 🤞🏻
I wanted to share this because I think it’s important that people who buy their food from us understand what is happening behind the scenes.
We spend an enormous amount of time trying to keep our animals healthy.
And right now, we are doing everything we can to keep it that way.
