All sheep and cattle have to be fully vaccinated against bluetongue this year.
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With five cases of bluetongue virus (BTV-3) confirmed in NI last winter and given we have moved into the active season for midges which spread the virus, all cattle and sheep entries at the 2026 event have to be fully vaccinated against BTV-3.
The RUAS has also strongly recommended that goats are vaccinated against bluetongue, although it is not a condition of entry.
For NI cattle herds, they also have to comply with increased Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) health status requirements to be able to bring animals to the event this year.
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Each exhibitor must meet standards for a low-risk BVD herd, which means all animals in the herd must have a known BVD negative status. In addition, the herd must not have had a positive BVD case in the 18 months prior to the show.
Bird flu
There are no poultry classes at this year’s show, despite compulsory housing measures being lifted across the island of Ireland from Tuesday 5 May. Those housing measures were brought in last November in NI after avian influenza (bird flu) was found on commercial poultry units in Tyrone and Fermanagh.
A ban on poultry gatherings was also implemented at the time and it still remains in force. However, the plan is that there will still be a display of birds from one flock, alongside various egg classes. It is the second year in a row that the RUAS has had to drop poultry classes due to uncertainty around bird flu.
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With five cases of bluetongue virus (BTV-3) confirmed in NI last winter and given we have moved into the active season for midges which spread the virus, all cattle and sheep entries at the 2026 event have to be fully vaccinated against BTV-3.
The RUAS has also strongly recommended that goats are vaccinated against bluetongue, although it is not a condition of entry.
For NI cattle herds, they also have to comply with increased Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) health status requirements to be able to bring animals to the event this year.
Each exhibitor must meet standards for a low-risk BVD herd, which means all animals in the herd must have a known BVD negative status. In addition, the herd must not have had a positive BVD case in the 18 months prior to the show.
Bird flu
There are no poultry classes at this year’s show, despite compulsory housing measures being lifted across the island of Ireland from Tuesday 5 May. Those housing measures were brought in last November in NI after avian influenza (bird flu) was found on commercial poultry units in Tyrone and Fermanagh.
A ban on poultry gatherings was also implemented at the time and it still remains in force. However, the plan is that there will still be a display of birds from one flock, alongside various egg classes. It is the second year in a row that the RUAS has had to drop poultry classes due to uncertainty around bird flu.
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