Notifiable diseases in UK animals and how to report them
Notifiable diseases in animals need reporting on suspicion. Find UK reporting contacts, disease examples and what happens after a report in England.
In Great Britain, notifiable diseases in animals require notification on suspicion, without confirmatory testing. That wording is from GB diagnostic reporting guidance for England, Scotland and Wales, updated 24 March 2025. Northern Ireland reports go to DAERA immediately, not to APHA.
This guide is about animals. For human diseases, use UKHSA guidance for registered medical practitioners in England. Don't send an animal report there.
What does notifiable disease mean?
The GB page defines notifiable diseases as listed diseases that require notification on suspicion, "without confirmatory testing". Anyone can make a notification. That tells you who may notify. It does not give every person the same legal duty for every disease.
Section 15 of the Animal Health Act 1981 contains duties for a person possessing or having charge of an affected animal, including keeping that animal separate as far as practicable. Disease-specific orders can supplement or vary those notification provisions. Check the disease page. One duty-holder formula does not fit every territory.
Notifiable and reportable diseases are different
In the same GB guidance, reportable diseases require notification only after detection in diagnostic testing. Testing may be in a laboratory, in the field or in another setting. The requirement depends on the disease or genotype, the species and the test. A vet or a diagnostic lab has two separate questions:
- Is this a suspicion that needs notification now?
- Has a test detected something that must be reported?
A routine sample form is not a substitute for notifying a suspected notifiable disease. Do not wait for a laboratory result before reporting a suspicion that requires notification.
Where to find official disease lists
The GOV.UK collection is not a complete UK list. The GOV.UK notifiable animal disease collection says it includes only notifiable animal diseases on which guidance has been published, and that it does not include all such diseases. That collection page was last updated on 14 March 2019. Use that date as the index date, then open the disease page. Counting the entries will not give you a UK legal total.
For a territory check, use the Scottish Government collection and DAERA's Northern Ireland page. A disease name can hide a limit to certain animals, or a different status across a border. Keep the page for that territory and those animals. The index is not the legal schedule.
Examples of notifiable animal diseases
These rows are examples, not a full list. They show why the disease name is not enough on its own.
| Disease | Qualification to check | Official guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Rabies | Report suspected rabies immediately. Do not approach suspected live rabid animals or touch suspected dead animals. | Rabies |
| Equine viral arteritis | Notifiable in stallions, and in mares that have mated or been inseminated within 14 days. Do not extend this to every horse. | Equine viral arteritis |
| Sheep scab | Notifiable in Scotland. England and Wales have treatment and control powers, which are not the same as that notifiable status. DAERA lists it for Northern Ireland. | Sheep scab, DAERA list |
| Porcine epidemic diarrhoea | Notifiable in England and Scotland, not in Wales. The guidance covers pet pigs, smallholdings and commercial farms. Scotland has its own reporting route. | Porcine epidemic diarrhoea |
The sheep scab page was last updated on 1 October 2014, equine viral arteritis on 15 August 2019, and porcine epidemic diarrhoea on 3 January 2023. Read the live page before you treat a status line as current. Keep the qualification beside the disease name in any internal procedure.
How to report notifiable diseases
Use the contact for the territory where the animals are kept. The APHA contact page, updated 27 August 2026, gives the Great Britain numbers below. It says not to use its general team-finding tool for a notifiable disease report.
| Territory | Reporting contact | Availability or instruction |
|---|---|---|
| England | APHA: 03000 200 301 | 24 hours, Monday to Sunday |
| Scotland | APHA: 03000 600 704 | 24 hours |
| Wales | APHA: 03003 038 268 | 24 hours |
| Northern Ireland | DAERA: 0300 200 7840, or a local DAERA Direct Regional Office | Contact immediately |
The Welsh Government prints the Wales number as 0300 303 8268, the same digits with different spacing. Scottish guidance also directs immediate reports to the APHA Scotland field-service local office, and it says failure to do so is an offence.
Check the disease page for a specific route. Suspected porcine epidemic diarrhoea in Scotland is reported to Quality Meat Scotland through the Scottish Pig Disease Control Centre on 01466 705 247.
A notifiable disease form is not a reason to delay the call. Report the suspicion on the authority's route first. DAERA says suspected or detected notifiable disease must be reported immediately, and failure to report is an offence. Do not assume 0300 200 7840 is staffed overnight.
What happens after a report in England?
APHA's investigation guidance applies to England and was updated on 2 April 2026. The steps below are an England example, not a UK procedure.
An APHA duty vet asks about the animals by phone. If suspicion cannot be ruled out on that call, an inspector will usually visit. The duty vet gives any restrictions to follow before the visit. Those may cover susceptible animals, products, equipment or vehicles.
An inspector may take samples and may impose restrictions. For some diseases, sampling may require culling. But a report does not automatically mean animals will be culled.
Restrictions continue until the investigation is complete. If suspicion is ruled out, restrictions placed on the premises end. Confirmation may lead to tracing, further restrictions and disease-control measures. Follow the instruction from the authority that took the report.
Compensation is conditional. The England guidance says there is no entitlement simply for being in a control zone, or for losses caused by being in that zone.
For Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, follow the instructions of the authority you reported to. Do not assume that England's investigation or compensation guidance applies there.
RegAffairs AI has a cited answer on UK animal disease notification.