The first case of Cattle Scab to be confirmed in Scotland since the early 1980s has been diagnosed by vets at SAC Consulting's St Boswells Veterinary Investigation Centre. Though this is Scotland's first case in around thirty years, there have been outbreaks reported in parts of England and Wales more recently.

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The disease was found on a Borders farm in a calf recently imported, with its suckler cow mother, from outside the UK. The disease has had more of an effect on mainland Europe and in Ireland. It is more common in beef cattle in Europe, but dairy herds have also been infected.

Cattle Scab, otherwise known as psoroptic mange, is caused by mites that burrow into the animal's skin to feed. The disease causes severe irritation and SRUC vets said it could have had "severe welfare and economic consequences" had it not been discovered.

The signs of cattle scab are similar to those of sheep scab which is also caused by a mite. These include severe dermatitis, forming scabs. The scabs form more commonly on the shoulders and tail head, but can also extend over the lower body, hind legs and the tail. There is usually intense itching and secondary infections are common, leading to bleeding and crusting. Affected animals inevitably lose weight and in extreme cases death can occur.

Helen Carty of SAC Consulting Veterinary Services commented, "Cattle Scab is a severe skin disease, with serious welfare implications for cattle if not quickly identified and treated correctly. It has the potential to become established in Scotland because of the movement of animals and the difficulties of treatment. I would urge farmers to remain vigilant for any signs of Cattle Scab and to notify their vet of any suspect cases."

In 2011 vets at the then Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) and scientists at the Moredun Research Institute (MRI) in Edinburgh issued warnings urging farmers to be vigilant and to take care when buying in cattle.

According to Dr Alasdair Nisbet of MRI, "Cattle may not show signs immediately after infection, allowing the silent spread of disease within, and between, herds." Dr Nisbet continued, "At Moredun we have been adapting the diagnostic blood test for sheep scab to detect mange cases in cattle. To determine the sensitivity and specificity of the test, that’s its ability to detect disease and tell us if disease is not present, we have been working closely with colleagues from SAC Consulting, AHVLA and from Belgium where this disease is a common affliction of Belgian Blue cattle."

SRUC urged farmers to report any suspect cases to their vet. Laboratory diagnosis is essential to differentiate the scab mite from other external parasites that infect cattle. Skin scrapings, including scab material are needed for examination under the microscope.

"Treatment of ‘scab’ in cattle is problematic", explained Helen Carty. "Successful treatment is not straightforward. All the animals in the group, and any other in-contact animals, regardless of whether they are showing clinical signs, must be treated. Experience in Wales suggests the mites are resistant to commonly used products and none are licensed for use in milking dairy cows."

The NFU welcomed SRUC's work and warning. NFU Scotland President, Nigel Miller commented, "NFU Scotland has been concerned about the possible spread of cattle psoroptes into Scotland for a number of years and has issued warnings on several occasions to our members, alerting them to the risks if importing cattle from high risk areas."

"We congratulate the vets that picked up the disease following import and can only hope that prompt detection and follow up may help limit the repercussions. Keepers should be mindful of strict biosecurity measures against this disease, including careful sourcing of animals, isolation/quarantine of bought in or suspect animals and heightened vigilance."

The union called on the Scottish government to revisit the disease’s classification and give cattle scab notifiable status, in order to prevent the disease from becoming established in Scotland.

In contrast to sheep scab, which is notifable under the Sheep Scab (Scotland) Order, 2010, farmers with a suspected case of Cattle Sca are not currently required to notify the authorities. In a bid to encourage submission of samples from suspect cases, SAC Consulting Veterinary services has begun offering free testing of skin scrapings from suspected cases, having been allocated funding by the Scottish government.