In the late 1990s, there were rumblings that Bluetongue virus (BTV) was on the move. The 2006 summer outbreak changed the way that the European economic and scientific communities viewed its importance. It shifted from being a neglected disease confined to the tropical regions of the world to a potentially important threat to agriculture. Suddenly, BTV was sharing research priorities and the limelight with other important viruses of animals such as foot-and-mouth disease virus and avian influenza virus.