#BloomScrolling while strolling
Around the backyard Mon 8th Dec 2025
Not the greatest shot, but I managed to capture Bluey the Blue Tongue Lizard (who sleeps in our garage).
Bluey does not normally ‘do photos’ as it more often scurries away to some nearby cover the moment it finds you nearby.
This is the second ‘warm season’ it has spent time it the garage - we don’t have a problem hosting Bluey as it is smart enough no to get run over and it is a safe space from cats.
Bluetongue control zone declared in Wales after four cases confirmed
The Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales, Richard Irvine, confirmed that a farm near Chepstow in Monmouthshire has active midge‑borne transmission of the disease. Further cases have since been identified at two premises in Powys, near Llangammarch Wells and Gladestry.
The affected cattle are being culled in line with the UK’s Bluetongue control strategy, and restrictions remain in place on the farms. A Temporary Control Zone (TCZ) has been introduced around the Monmouthshire premises to limit livestock movements and allow further surveillance.
What is Bluetongue?
Bluetongue is a viral disease spread mainly by biting midges. It affects ruminants such as cattle, sheep, goats and deer, as well as camelids including alpacas and llamas.
Control zone declared after Monmouthshire outbreak
CVO Richard Irvine said the TCZ was necessary because there was “clear evidence of active midge‑borne transmission” at the Monmouthshire farm.
“Vaccination is the best way to protect livestock and livelihoods from the worst impacts of this potentially devastating disease,” he said. “I urge animal keepers to discuss Bluetongue vaccination with their vet now.”
Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs Huw Irranca‑Davies added:
“Our success to this point has been crucial in buying our farmers the time they needed to vaccinate their animals and prepare for Bluetongue. Everyone needs to now play their part and help manage where Bluetongue disease is appearing.”
Farmers warn of financial hit from livestock restrictions
The Welsh Conservatives criticised the Labour Government’s handling of the outbreak. Shadow Rural Affairs Secretary Samuel Kurtz MS said farmers were already facing “significant financial losses” from movement restrictions and called for urgent financial support.
“Now is the time for practical action and for government to stand alongside our farmers,” he said.
Union urges vigilance and vaccination after first Welsh cases
NFU Cymru Deputy President Abi Reader said the confirmation of four cases was “a concern to livestock keepers but not surprising” given the spread across the border.
She urged farmers to remain vigilant and report any suspected cases to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) on 0300 303 8268, and to discuss vaccination with their vets.
At a glance: Bluetongue in Wales
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#Bluetongue #BluetongueTransmission #BTV3 #cattle #ChiefVeterinaryOfficer #cows #DrRichardIrvine #Farming #HuwIrrancaDaviesMS #midges #NFUCymru #ruralAffairs #TemporaryControlZone
Cattle movements into Wales halved after Bluetongue restrictions, warns Senedd Member
Figures released by Deputy First Minister and Rural Affairs Secretary Huw Irranca‑Davies show that 6,890 cattle were moved from England into Wales in July 2025, compared with 13,406 in the same month last year — a fall of nearly half.
The restrictions, brought in by the Welsh Government on 1 July, require livestock moving from England — which has been designated a Bluetongue Restricted Zone — to meet strict licensing and testing or vaccination requirements before entering Wales. The measures were introduced after confirmed cases of Bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV‑3) in England.
‘Industry being strangled’
Andrew RT Davies MS, Senedd Member for South Wales Central, farmer, and former Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, obtained the figures through written questions to ministers.
He said the sharp drop in movements showed the scale of the impact on the cattle trade:
“These figures show that the cattle trade in Wales is in a crisis zone. With cattle movements dropping like a stone just as Bluetongue restrictions have taken hold, the industry is being effectively strangled out of existence in Wales.
Unless the Welsh Government take urgent action to align rules with England, our cattle industry as we know it will be closed down for good.”
Mr Davies has previously claimed some farmers believe the restrictions are being used to reduce livestock numbers in line with the Climate Change Committee’s recommendation that Welsh livestock numbers should be cut by 20% by 2033 to meet environmental targets.
Background on the rules
Under current Welsh Government policy, cattle from the Bluetongue Restricted Zone in England can only move into Wales if they have either:
All such moves require a specific licence, and testing costs are met by the keeper.
The Welsh Government has said the measures are necessary to protect animal health and the farming industry from the spread of Bluetongue, which is transmitted by biting midges and can cause serious illness or death in cattle, sheep and other ruminants.
#AndrewRTDaviesMS #Bluetongue #cattle #climateChange #DairyFarming #Farming #HuwIrrancaDaviesMS #WelshGovernment
A new strain of the bluetongue virus is spreading putting livestock at risk and placing fresh pressure on farmers. https://tcnv.link/1rrovII
This is Garak, he's an Australian Northern Blue Tongue Skink, and it's his 10th birthday today.
I don't talk about my lizards as much as I do the cat or chinchilla, but I have a few, and pretty much have always had one reptile or another my whole life.
But Garak is by far the coolest lizard I've ever had. He's super chill, we can just hang out with him on the couch or at the computer.
Happy 10th birthday Garak!
A small (for its type) lizard basking in the hot sun at the front of my house. It's either a blue tongue or a pink tongue - related but different. I can only tell which is which when I see the tongue! 😂 The pink tongue living out the back (posted before) is much lighter coloured, but we do get both types.
This one was only about 30cm tip to tip, so I'm guessing a juvenile. Adults are probably 40cm(?)
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