Risk of Lyme disease increasing, warns Scottish Land & Estates

Press Release

Rural business organisation Scottish Land & Estates (SLE) is warning of a heightened risk of Lyme disease due to the increasing number of ticks in the countryside. 

In summer 2023 the number of Lyme disease cases reported in the UK increased by a third compared with the preceding year.

Members of the public are warned to check themselves and their pets for ticks and remove attached ticks as soon as possible after a day in the countryside.

Ticks are tiny, spider-like creatures that live in grassland, moors and woodland. They can spread a range of infections, including Lyme disease, to humans and animals.

Climate change is one of the factors which has boosted the tick population due to the rapid growth of  vegetation where ticks can breed. 

Bracken is widely known as one of the worst harbours of tick, and it has been controlled for many years, primarily by spraying Asulam. However, the use of Asulam is now restricted, exacerbating the problem of tick control.

Eleanor Kay, Senior Policy Adviser on agriculture and climate change with Scottish Land & Estates, said: “Ticks are most active between April and July so we would remind members of the public to be vigilant. Consider wearing clothing that covers the skin to make it more difficult for ticks to latch on, and use insect repellent before heading out to enjoy the countryside, particularly in areas of dense bracken or long vegetation. Ticks can be as small as a poppy seed when they attach to your skin. Remove the tick as soon as possible and check your children and pets for any ticks.”

The severity of Lyme disease varies, but it can be a debilitating condition and if untreated may lead to long-lasting symptoms including fatigue, headaches, dizziness, numbness in the hands and feet and joint pain. In rare cases, Lyme disease can continue for decades.

Twenty years ago there were only around 250 reported cases of Lyme disease in the UK each year, but this has risen to 2,000 to 3,000 laboratory-confirmed cases and some research suggests the actual number could be far higher, because diagnosis is problematic.

Ticks also pose a significant problem for a wide range of animals, from livestock to pets and wild animals. Dogs can become unwell following a tick bite.

Curlew chicks and red grouse which nest on the ground are often subject to a tick infestation, which can prove fatal. Ongoing research by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust in tick-prone areas found that 88% of red grouse chicks had attached ticks in the summer of 2023, up from 75% in 2022.

Members of Scottish Land & Estates continue to invest in measures that reduce the number of ticks on livestock and they also manage vegetation to limit the ticks’ preferred breeding grounds.

As well as controlling bracken, other tactics adopted by land managers include treating sheep with an acaricide, similar to the treatments used for mites on domestic pets, and heather burning, to limit dense vegetation. These measures combined are effective at reducing the spread of tick.

Eleanor Kay continued: “We need to work together to address the risk of disease from ticks, particularly as bracken is now harder to control. We would urge the government to adopt an integrated approach to tick control, including a full strategy for how tick numbers can be reduced. Signage should be introduced in tick-infested areas to warn members of the public of the risk and to raise awareness of the symptoms of Lyme disease.”

Lyme disease is passed to people via bites from infected ticks and symptoms can include a red rash, sometimes resembling a bullseye.

For more information on how to safely remove a tick please visit Lyme Disease UK.