Orkney goose management project enters third year

The Orkney greylag goose adaptive management pilot will allow local people to control the resident greylag geese population. Licensed shooting with experienced local guns takes place in August and September before migratory birds from Iceland arrive in October. This will keep the population down to reduce impact on farming while preserving the species’ conservation interest.

Geese taken as part of the pilot project will be recorded and numbers monitored in summer.

The aim is a sustainably managed goose population which generates income for local people. The pilot project last year saw, for the first time in Orkney, the sale of wild goose meat through licensed outlets. And the licensed sale of meat locally and online will continue this year from August to July 2015.

Resident greylag geese in Orkney have increased over the past 20 years. The goose count in August 2013 recorded 20,242 birds which represents a 5% decrease since the August 2012 count when 21,367 birds were recorded.

Wild goose meat is available only from licensed sellers in Orkney. The pilot project is being trialled in Scotland under the auspices of SNH and advised by the National Goose Management Review Group (NGMRG).

Paul Wheelhouse, Minister for the Environment and Climate Change, said: “This, the third year of the Orkney greylag goose pilot project, is to be welcomed, as the project provides a major role for Orkney farmers in the careful management of goose numbers.

“The Scottish Government is committed to supporting our rural communities, and we have listened to the concerns of farmers and land managers in Orkney about the effect that greylag geese, and, in particular, the resident population of the species, are having on crops and arable land.

“In response to those concerns, the project developed this sustainable solution which has widespread support in Orkney. The project also has the benefit of providing a boost to the local economy through the licensed sale locally and online of goose meat; a healthy and protein-rich food that would otherwise have been disposed of via landfill if the prohibition on the sale of such goose meat had remained in force.”

Gail Churchill, SNH’s Orkney operations manager, confirmed: “We too welcome the sale of wild goose meat in Orkney under licence once again this year. This pilot project is proven to sustainably reduce goose numbers while providing a boost for local shops and the Orkney economy.

“We undertook this work to respond to the concerns of local farmers and land managers. Last year 5,844 resident greylag geese were shot and the target for this year is 5,500. In succeeding years this number will reduce as the population decreases. The work will be undertaken by experienced local shooters following established best practice methods, and overseen by Scotland’s Rural College’s staff.

“This active management work will help us meet our nature conservation obligations by maintaining a sustainable and stable resident greylag goose population. It has the support of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) who will be working closely with all of us involved in this new form of adaptive management control.”

In Orkney the project has been developed and managed in conjunction with the Local Goose Management Group (LGMG) which includes NFUS, SGRPID, Scotland’s Rural College (SRC) and local farmers.

ENDS