diff --git a/go/mysql/binlog_event.go b/go/mysql/binlog_event.go
index e965c7faf1b..84ab17d71ce 100644
--- a/go/mysql/binlog_event.go
+++ b/go/mysql/binlog_event.go
@@ -122,6 +122,9 @@ type BinlogEvent interface {
 
 	// IsPseudo is for custom implementations of GTID.
 	IsPseudo() bool
+
+	// IsCompressed returns true if a compressed event is found (binlog_transaction_compression=ON)
+	IsCompressed() bool
 }
 
 // BinlogFormat contains relevant data from the FORMAT_DESCRIPTION_EVENT.
diff --git a/go/mysql/binlog_event_common.go b/go/mysql/binlog_event_common.go
index e9f022e0b28..8abfd9ac953 100644
--- a/go/mysql/binlog_event_common.go
+++ b/go/mysql/binlog_event_common.go
@@ -167,6 +167,11 @@ func (ev binlogEvent) IsPseudo() bool {
 	return false
 }
 
+// IsCompressed returns true if a compressed event is found (binlog_transaction_compression=ON)
+func (ev binlogEvent) IsCompressed() bool {
+	return ev.Type() == eCompressedEvent
+}
+
 // Format implements BinlogEvent.Format().
 //
 // Expected format (L = total length of event data):
diff --git a/go/mysql/binlog_event_filepos.go b/go/mysql/binlog_event_filepos.go
index dfec653081e..2f6bbb5bbfa 100644
--- a/go/mysql/binlog_event_filepos.go
+++ b/go/mysql/binlog_event_filepos.go
@@ -212,6 +212,10 @@ func (ev filePosFakeEvent) IsPseudo() bool {
 	return false
 }
 
+func (ev filePosFakeEvent) IsCompressed() bool {
+	return false
+}
+
 //----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 // filePosGTIDEvent is a fake GTID event for filePos.
diff --git a/go/mysql/replication_constants.go b/go/mysql/replication_constants.go
index 53d51c944eb..096bd902a04 100644
--- a/go/mysql/replication_constants.go
+++ b/go/mysql/replication_constants.go
@@ -207,6 +207,9 @@ const (
 	//eViewChangeEvent         = 37
 	//eXAPrepareLogEvent       = 38
 
+	// Transaction_payload_event when binlog compression is turned on
+	eCompressedEvent = 40
+
 	// MariaDB specific values. They start at 160.
 	//eMariaAnnotateRowsEvent = 160
 	// Unused
diff --git a/go/vt/vttablet/tabletserver/vstreamer/vstreamer.go b/go/vt/vttablet/tabletserver/vstreamer/vstreamer.go
index 1a54c75fd3d..32e142828a6 100644
--- a/go/vt/vttablet/tabletserver/vstreamer/vstreamer.go
+++ b/go/vt/vttablet/tabletserver/vstreamer/vstreamer.go
@@ -567,6 +567,9 @@ func (vs *vstreamer) parseEvent(ev mysql.BinlogEvent) ([]*binlogdatapb.VEvent, e
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
+	case ev.IsCompressed():
+		log.Errorf("VReplication does not handle binlog compression")
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("VReplication does not handle binlog compression")
 	}
 	for _, vevent := range vevents {
 		vevent.Timestamp = int64(ev.Timestamp())