by Iona McGregor, Co-ordinator of the Angus Glens Moorland Group
Gamekeepers and land managers have warned for many years that changes to land management practices would result in an increase in ticks and the diseases they carry.
The Scottish government has not only ignored these warnings but has introduced a raft of policies which will exacerbate the problem.
Ticks are small invertebrates in the arachnid family. They live in vegetation in hills, forests, moorland and sometimes parks and gardens. Ticks attach themselves to a mammal to draw blood, as part of their lifecycle, sometimes passing on disease in the process.
Lyme disease is the most recognised disease carried by ticks, with about 3,000 to 4,000 confirmed cases in people each year, according to the UK Health Security Agency, although the true number of cases may be far higher. Documented cases of Lyme disease have risen tenfold since 2001, as the number of ticks increases. Symptoms can be debilitating and resistant to treatment.
Also carried by ticks, Louping Ill Virus (LIV) is a devastating disease in sheep and is also particularly serious for red grouse, with a mortality rate of up to 80 per cent. It is known to also affect pigs, horses, goats, cattle, and dogs.
The true scale of LIV risk for gun dogs and pet dogs is not known, but the number of ticks is increasing, and recent confirmed cases of LIV indicate that more dogs may be affected than previously thought.
Just this week, a registered veterinary nurse from Angus spoke of the sad loss of two of her labradors from LIV. Clover and Clyde were fully up to date with veterinary prescribed tick treatments. They caught the virus in two different locations in Scotland, two years apart. Lab tests confirmed the presence of LIV in blood samples.
Gamekeepers in other areas of Scotland also report the loss of gundogs, with symptoms similar to those of Clover and Clyde, although without a confirmed diagnosis.
Tick populations have risen significantly in the past 20 years, partly due to climate change, which has boosted vegetation growth and allowed ticks to breed more successfully.
The more worrying factor which has exacerbated the problem of ticks is the current trend for allowing vegetation to grow unchecked across vast areas of the countryside, promoted by the Wildlife Trusts and others.
A study published in the British Medical Journal Global Health reported that ‘ecological changes’ (such as promoting widespread growth of dense vegetation) are one reason for the increasing prevalence of ticks, with Western Europe the area most affected by Lyme disease.
Public policy encouraging the acquisition of land for ‘rewilding’, along with moves to reduce grazing by sheep, and the lack of authorization for effective bracken control, all combine to create ideal breeding ground for ticks. Very few species are able to thrive in bracken-dominated habitat, but bracken is a perfect habitat for ticks.
Moves to reduce and prevent muirburn will also make it far more difficult to control vegetation and thereby reduce tick infestations.
A new system of licensing for muirburn comes into effect from 1 January 2026. Significant problems with this legislation remain, despite the representations made by rural organisations over the past three years. It is clear that muirburn will become difficult or impossible in many upland areas.
Moorland practices which have worked well for hundreds of years are being discouraged or banned. The inevitable result will be a massive increase in ticks and a surge in disease passed on to livestock, pets and people.