Orkney goose management project enters fourth year

15th August 2015

A project to manage resident geese populations in Orkney is set to enter its fourth year, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has confirmed.

The Orkney greylag goose adaptive management pilot will allow local people to control the resident greylag geese population. Licensed shooting takes place with experienced local guns 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 the continuation of the sale of wild goose meat through licensed outlets in Orkney. And the licensed sale of meat will resume again this year from August to July 2016.

Resident greylag geese in Orkney have increased over the past 20 years. The goose count in August 2014 recorded 22,911 birds.

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).

Aileen McLeod, Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Aileen McLeod said: "Today marks the fourth year of the Orkney greylag goose pilot project, which seeks to sustainably manage the resident greylag goose population in Orkney and help local farming interests.

"The Scottish Government is committed to supporting our rural communities and we have listened to the concerns of farmers and land managers in Orkney on geese management. This project has been met with widespread support and has provided 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."

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

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 6,525 resident greylag geese were shot and the target for this year is 6,600. 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 Colleges 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."

Photo from the Caithness Biodiversity Collection
Photographer - Ken Crossan