Sale of goose meat from Orkney extended across Scotland

Notes to editors

Populations of resident greylag geese expanded very rapidly in some parts of Scotland in recent years, resulting in farmers and crofters struggling to control their impacts using traditional means. In Scotland, farmers and crofters have traditionally controlled resident graylag goose impacts with non-lethal and lethal scaring, undertaking lethal control in the open season and, under much of the closed season, under licence from SNH. 

Adaptive Management Pilots for the sustainable control of resident greylag geese: To help farmers and crofters whose crops were being damaged by a rapidly rising goose population, pilot studies were run in local communities in Tiree, Coll, Uist, Lewis, Harris and Orkney. The aim of the pilots was to reduce goose impacts by managing their resident greylag goose populations and by selling this goose meat locally. The studies confirmed that resident greylag goose populations can absorb substantial losses without any effect on their conservation status. Resident greylag geese are a quarry species, listed as a species of Least Concern (not endangered, threatened or vulnerable). These three pilots ended in March 2017, and SNH is supporting LGMGs to develop LGMG-led options for sustainable resident greylag goose management through Challenge Funding.  The 2019 Transitional Challenge Fund will help local goose groups continue to control goose numbers in 2019 and investigate methods to reduce resident goose numbers in the future.  For more information, see http://bit.ly/2Y0Vqo3  SNH and local goose management groups are also exploring other options together, such as more flexible licences when necessary, a review of bag limits in some areas, and licensed egg-oiling.