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Ticks are external blood-sucking parasites that feed on a variety of hosts including livestock, wildlife and humans. The most common tick in the UK is the sheep tick (Ixodes [I.] ricinus) which is indiscriminate, feeding on a wide range of hosts, from birds to small and large mammals, including humans, whereas many other species of ticks feed more selectively on specific animal species. The sheep tick can carry pathogens responsible for several diseases including louping ill (LI), tickborne fever (TBF), babesiosis (red water), Lyme disease, tick pyaemia and tickborne encephalitis (TBE). 

These diseases can cause significant economic losses to farmers but may also impact on human health. Heavy tick infestations themselves may cause ill-health such as irritation, anaemia and production losses even if no diseases are transmitted. A growing concern facing livestock producers in the UK is the increased risk from ticks and associated tick-borne diseases (TBDs). Factors influencing the increase in ticks and TBDs include:

• Climate change resulting in a wider geographic spread or earlier activity of ticks
• Increased wildlife movement and geographic spread with more ticks' hosts and reservoirs
• Shifts in land use and agricultural practices, such as rewilding and reforestation

All these factors can have an impact on ticks and TBDs expansion, which is concerning and particularly relevant for upland areas of the UK, of which Scotland has many. 

With the support of the Scottish Environment, Food and Agriculture Research Institutions (SEFARI) Innovative Knowledge Exchange (IKE) Fund and led by the Moredun Research Institute (MRI), with partners Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), Biomathematics & Statistics Scotland (BioSS) and the University of Glasgow, a one-day workshop was organised and held at MRI on the 6th of September 2024. The focus of the workshop was to discuss the challenges posed by ticks and TBDs expansion, promote exchange of information, build a coordinated network to improve industry guidelines and explore practical solutions. The morning of the workshop was designed to be a fact-finding exercise with presentations and sharing of experiences, with the afternoon focusing on addressing specific questions within focus groups. The workshop was by invitation only (80 stakeholders) to make it as relevant and as broad as possible but also focused. Effective management of ticks and TBDs requires a collaborative approach involving all stakeholders, to ensure that the differing priorities of the farming community, veterinary and pharmaceutical industries, land management and game sector, public health bodies, policy makers and conservationists are addressed and that all affected are involved in the decision making.

This report investigates the state of knowledge on the relationship between NbS and the productive land use sectors of agriculture and forestry in Scotland.

Food fraud costs the UK around £2 billion per year, and improving testing methods is key to tackling this issue. However, current techniques often lack the speed and accuracy needed to detect mislabelled meat products. Researchers at the Rowett Institute have developed a cutting-edge method called MEATiCode, which can simultaneously identify multiple meat species in a single processed food sample.

The SEFARI Gateway Waste Emissions Science Advisory Group has undertaken a comprehensive review of methodologies used for estimating and forecasting greenhouse gas emissions across Scotland. This analysis spans various technologies including landfill, anaerobic digestion and composting, waste incineration, and wastewater treatment. As Scotland aims to meet stringent environmental targets, ensuring these methodologies are accurate, adaptable, and comprehensive is crucial. This report outlines current practices, assesses their effectiveness, identifies strengths, highlights weaknesses, and proposes enhancements aimed at improving precision and utility for policy applications.

The purpose of this guide is to outline options and considerations for businesses and organisations interested in developing controlled environment growing enterprises in the Highlands and Islands. It is intended for both existing growers looking to diversify their production systems and for businesses, community groups, SMEs, and enterprises with little or no background in horticulture. Drawing on existing horticultural resources and controlled environment agriculture technologies, this guide interprets and tailors the information specifically for the Highlands and Islands context, while signposting readers to more detailed resources where appropriate. It also incorporates insights from expert interviews to inform recommendations on energy supply, site selection, and potential routes to market. 

As such, this guide is designed to serve as a flexible reference, adaptable to the varying needs and knowledge levels of its readers.

Agriculture is central to the economy, culture and heritage in Orkney and the successful adoption of new research and technology may bring significant benefits to the islands. Key challenges to the industry are to increase the efficiency of food production while protecting and enhancing the natural environment. The Orcadians have a strong history of being successful innovators and are also aware of the unique opportunities available within Orkney's landscapes and communities. Improving connectivity and trust between researchers and islanders will help to maximise the benefits from new research and increase uptake of useful technologies. This report summarisies recent (2015-2025) agricultural research projects relevant to Orkney in a research directory that can be used to help collate and raise awareness of current research projects. A workshop was held on Orkney with local stakeholders to discuss their views on future research directions, knowledge gaps, how to improve local involvement and input and the potential for setting up a "Living Lab" on Orkney. Recommendations to move forward are to establish a Research Hub on Orkney to help coordinate research activity, communicate outputs and encourage collaborations and new funding streams. Establishing key links with the SEFARI Research Institutes is a timely opportunity as the new Scottish Government Strategic Research Programme is currently out for consultation and there are opportunities for researchers and stakeholders to co-design agriculture research questions relevant and useful for Orkney. To help support moving research into practice, demonstration fields, farms or specific managment practices could be tried out using UHI facilities to de-risk the testing of new technologies. The project also identified new opportunities for education, both secondary and tertiary, and training to encourage more people to take up careers in agriculture and to create new skilled jobs and opportunities on the isands.

Achieving food security has gained prominence in the present policy agenda to increase resilience to adverse events. Using a novel method, we estimated the food balance sheets of Scotland, and assessed the self-sufficiency of major food commodities for the first time. We found that Scotland can produce enough cereal, potatoes, lamb, beef, dairy, and eggs to meet its own needs, but it still depends on imports of poultry and pork. Wheat and dairy from Scotland are especially important, as they significantly contribute to the nation's overall energy, protein, and fat intake.

Foods high in protein (Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya, Unsplash)

We are delighted to share with you the latest copy of the ELPEG Bulletin. The bulletins are produced every six months and summarise the biodiversity research that is happening within the Strategic Research Programme. The bulletins aim to provide a policy relevant summary of the research. 

The October 2024 bulletin can be access here.

Ecosystem and Land use Stakeholder Engagement group

This group is open to all stakeholders interested in the biodiversity work conducted within the Strategic Research Programme. We hold in person meetings once a year (usually in January) which provide an overview of the work conducted.

If you would like to know more or wish to be added to the ELPEG bulletin and/or the ELSEG meeting mailing list, please contact Holli.Hunter@hutton.ac.uk.

October 2024 ELPEG Bulletin which summarises the latest Scottish Government funded Strategic Research Programme biodiversity research.