Scottish gamekeepers back new Lyme disease measures

The Scottish Parliament will consider improvements to testing and treatment for Lyme disease next week, thanks to a petition supported by gamekeepers and grouse moor managers.

The Tick-borne Illness Campaign Scotland seeks to limit the spread of Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections. It calls for medical professionals in Scotland to be fully equipped to deal with infections, and also recommends a publicawareness programme. The campaign was set up by Lorraine Murray from Montrose, who contracted Lyme disease from a tick bite while out walking her dog during the summer of 2014. The infection took her from “super active to seriously ill” within months and kept her in bed most of the day.

The severe impact of Lyme disease cannot be overstated. Recently, rugby star Matt Dawson has discussed his own struggle with it in the press, while Shooting Times examined the issue in depth in our 12 July issue.

Gamekeepers are on the frontline in fighting ticks through the management of deer and hare numbers on grouse moors, and are in full support of the petition.

Carrieanne Conaghan, co-ordinator of the Speyside Moorland Group, said: “It is important to carry out tick control — which includes sheep dipping and bracken spraying — as part of our wider moorland management practice. This not only benefits the grouse but additional bird species and reduces risk to members of the public enjoying the countryside. Moorland groups around Scotland fully support this petition as anyone who contracts Lyme disease can be severely affected.”

Shooting times & Country magazine • 7

Managers of grouse moors are on the frontline in the fight against ticks