More support for Orkney farmers tackling greylag geese

Working with the Orkney Goose Management Group, SNH is supporting the following initiatives:

• Volunteer shooters will be available again this year in August and September to undertake goose control on farms which are experiencing issues with geese. Farmers may contact the SRUC Kirkwall Office (01856 872698) for more information and support.
  
  

• An expert in corralling geese will visit, and advise farmers on how this might be implemented on Orkney.
  
  

• Open training for egg-oiling will be available. SNH will also fund contractors to carry out egg oiling on specific areas next season.
  
  

• A study will be completed to help create an Orkney–wide plan to reduce geese numbers. This will consider the practicalities, cost, and locations for a number of possible measures to bring the population to 5,000 birds, including shooting, egg oiling, corralling, and any other measures that could be effective.
  
  

• A new Orkney-specific licence will cover the period from 1 February to 30 June, outside the open shooting season and the time covered by the General Licence. This means farmers will no longer be required to apply to the SNH Licensing team for an out-of-season licence, but can make a quick call to the Kirkwall office for permission. (Currently, greylag geese can be shot under the General Licence from 1 July until 31 August, and during the open season from 1 September to 31 January.)
  
  

• SNH is considering further changes to licences, in particular a mechanism to increase bag limits, and a possible extension to the General Licence currently available in July and August to include May and June.

SNH will also continue to work with the Scottish Government to extend the current Orkney goose meat pilot Scotland-wide, and to secure consent to sell goose meat after the UK’s expected exit from the EU.

Graham Neville, SNH’s Northern Isles and North Highland area manager, said:

“We understand increases in greylag goose numbers have seriously impacted on farmers and crofters on Orkney. Working closely with the local goose management group, we have committed to measures that will help protect crops, while still maintaining the balance between conservation, farming and hunting.”

This follows on an announcement earlier this week that the sale of goose meat has been extended in Orkney and the Western Isles. For more on this, see www.nature.scot/sale-goose-meat-extended-isles

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