Bovine dermatophilosis has undoubtedly been a limiting factor in livestock improvement programmes in Ghana. The disease affects about 10% of the cattle population in the country although it is less severe in indigenous animals, resulting in minimal losses. In contrast, dermatophilosis has had a devastating effect on exotic breeds and their crosses, which have barely survived in livestock upgrading programmes undertaken previously. However, more recently Friesians and Friesian crossbreds have been successfully raised, free of dermatophilosis, on farms with a package of good management and husbandry practices, including well-planned tick control measures. With the recent drastic increases in acaricide prices in Ghana, as a result of falling exchange rates, there is a need to assess whether it is economical to control dermatophilosis through acaricide treatment. The expected increase in milk yields from cross-breds will have to justify the expense of intensive tick control otherwise greater effort should be put into organising adequate systems for milk collection from the existing indigenous cattle population.