Bluetongue virus serotype 8 (BTV‐8) was responsible for a large outbreak among European ruminant populations in 2006–2009. In spring 2008, a massive vaccination campaign was undertaken, leading to the progressive disappearance of the virus. During surveillance programmes in Western Europe in 2010–2011, a low but significant number of animals were found weakly positive using BTV‐specific real‐time RT‐PCR, raising questions about a possible low level of virus circulation. An interference of the BTV‐8 inactivated vaccine on the result of the real‐time RT‐PCR was also hypothesized. Several studies specifically addressed the potential association between a recent vaccination and BTV‐8 RNA detection in the blood of sheep. Results were contradictory and cattles were not investigated. To enlighten this point, a large study was performed to determine the risks of detection of bluetongue vaccine‐associated RNA in the blood and spleen of cattle using real‐time RT‐PCR. Overall, the results presented clearly demonstrate that vaccine viral RNA can reach the blood circulation in sufficient amounts to be detected by real‐time RT‐PCR in cattle. This BTV‐8 vaccine RNA carriage appears as short lasting.