Shamonda virus found on UK dairy farms in Shropshire and Powys

Shamonda virus, a cattle disease carried by tiny biting midges, has been found in livestock in Great Britain for the first time. The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) said on Monday, 2 November 2026, that the virus was detected in October in cattle on two dairy farms, one in Powys in Wales and one in Shropshire in England, after samples were tested at its Weybridge laboratories. The government said the disease is not notifiable or reportable, that there is no evidence extra control measures are needed, and that the risk to people is very low. Farmers and vets have been asked to watch their herds and report unusual illness for testing.

For dairy farmers, a new cattle virus is first of all a question of milk and money. In the outbreaks reported on Jersey earlier this year, affected herds showed reduced milk yield and diarrhoea, and farm reports describe illness lasting around two to three weeks. APHA has not said what signs, if any, were seen on the two British farms, but a drop in milk output across a herd for several weeks hits a farm's income directly, while vets' bills and testing add to costs.

The virus belongs to the same family group as Schmallenberg virus, which farm groups across northern Europe already know well, and that link is one reason they are paying close attention. In the Channel Islands, the virus has also been detected in several aborted calf foetuses since the first detection, according to farming bodies, although scientists say the effect of the newly emerging Shamonda strains on pregnancy is not yet fully understood.

The decision not to make the disease notifiable is important for trade. A notifiable disease triggers official restrictions: animals may be barred from moving, and export markets can close. Because Shamonda virus is not on that list, British farmers can keep selling milk, meat and live animals as normal. Ireland took the same approach after its first cases in County Cork, applying no trade limits.

Because the virus is spread by midges rather than from animal to animal, the season matters. Midge activity falls as temperatures drop in late autumn and winter, which may slow spread in the coming months. The bigger test may come next spring and summer, when midges return and when calves conceived during this period are born.

Peepals timeline: Shamonda virus was first detected this year in pedigree Jersey dairy herds on the island of Jersey, where testing began over the summer of 2026 and official confirmation followed in September. In early October, a private laboratory found the virus in samples from two farms in County Cork, Ireland. Later in October, samples from dairy herds in Powys and Shropshire tested positive at Weybridge, and the government made the finding public on 2 November. That is three new areas in roughly three months, a pattern consistent with a midge-borne virus moving north and east across the Irish Sea and the Channel.

Short-term: No restrictions on farm business, but more testing as vets look for the virus in herds with unexplained drops in milk or bouts of fever and diarrhoea.

Long-term: Researchers will watch for any effect on pregnancies and calves in the coming season. If the virus becomes established, farm groups may push for work on a vaccine, since none is licensed today.

Who is affected: Dairy and beef farmers in Wales and England, farm vets, milk processors and livestock traders. Consumers are not affected, according to the Food Standards Agency. For Indian readers, the case is a reminder of how insect-borne cattle diseases can cross borders quickly, a concern for any large dairy sector, including India's.

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