The impact of ticks and the diseases they can transmit will be discussed at a meeting in Edinburgh today.

Ticks can carry serious debilitating diseases such as Lyme disease and louping ill which can affect birds, mammals and humans.

Latest trends show a rise in tick numbers with potentially lethal consequences for red grouse chicks and a direct effect on the viability of grouse moors.

Chairing the meeting, Minister for Environment Michael Russell said:
"Ticks are a growing problem and there is the potential for a significant economic impact on farming and sporting estates in Scotland.

"It is vital that we fully assess their impact and what we can do about them. However, it is important that any strategy to deal with the problem is carefully assessed for its overall impact on the environment.

"Today's meeting includes a wide range of groups who have an interest in countryside management and representatives on public health.

"We must also not lose sight of the risk to human health from Lyme disease, with 1000 human cases of Lyme disease in 2006.

"It is easily treatable if diagnosed early but we need to ensure there is awareness among GPs and all those who spend any time in the countryside."

Background:
Tick is the common name for small arachnids which live on the blood of mammals, birds, and occasionally reptiles and amphibians. There are several British species but the common species found over much of Scotland is Ixodes ricinus, variously known as the "sheep tick", "castor bean tick" or "meadow tick". The sheep tick Ixodes ricinus, feeds on most vertebrate species, is the most numerous, and is the species responsible for the majority of tick-borne diseases in humans and animals in Scotland.

For information on the manifestation of tick-borne diseases in people, please check the Borreliosis and Associated Diseases Awareness UK (BADA UK) website at www.bada-uk.org.

Grouse shooting is thought to be worth around £40 million to the Scotttish economy.