Greylag geese boom in Orkney a pest for farmers

11/02/2009 23:38:47 Orkney geese project takes flight

February 2009. Plans to help Orkney farmers cope with an increase in the number of wintering geese have been confirmed by Scottish Natural Heritage.

68,000 Greylag geese - crop damage
The greylag goose population has multiplied over the past 20 years to reach a record level of 68,349 in December 2008. Orkney is now the most important area in Britain for wintering greylag geese, but the jump in numbers has resulted in concerns being expressed by farmers about increased damage caused by geese to improved pastures and other crops.

Last year SNH, the Scottish Government Rural Payment and Inspections Directorate (SGRPID) and the National Goose Management Review Group worked with a number of local farmers to identify ways of help.

As a result, it was decided to run a winter feasibility project to assess the level and type of scaring required to protect first year reseeds.

Weekly goose counts
The project will identify methods of coordinating suitable scaring activity, a factor made more challenging by the dispersed nature of geese sites. As part of this project farmers have been carrying out weekly counts of geese on their land.

Goose scaring
Farmers have also carried out various scaring activities, while during the next few weeks they will be trialling another method on their first year reseeds. The farmers will set out canes with streamers attached across the fields as a means of keeping the greylag geese off the reseeds at this critical time.

The estimated cost of the feasibility project is £11,270 which will be funded by SNH. This includes individual payments for grass seed and canes. The results of the feasibility project will be assessed in May 2009 and final report produced by June 2009.

Gail Churchill, SNH Orkney Area officer, said: "We are keen to work with local farmers to find the best way of helping to reduce the impact of the geese on their crops. The information that the farmers are providing during this project is extremely useful and will help us put forward recommendations for possible future support.

"The feasibility project is a valuable first step towards providing assistance to farmers and our efforts to protect crops will continue. We are grateful to the continued input of farmers and our partners in securing this aim."

The period of most damage tends to be January to April. In the autumn if cattle have to be housed early due to ground conditions, grass is often plentiful and goose damage limited.

Climate change
It is believed that climate change may be a contributory factor to the large increase in the numbers of geese overwintering in Orkney. Higher winter temperatures allow geese to winter further north than previously.

Orkney does not receive a significant snow fall or long periods of frost and as a result grass stays green during the winter and grows at a slow rate.

The quantity of forage in Orkney has also increased and been maintained at a high quality giving the birds a very rich food source. And shooting pressure in the former wintering grounds further south in mainland Scotland is enough to persuade birds that Orkney is a safer wintering ground.

Farmer Scott Harcus said: "I am pleased to be participating in this project given the recent increase in goose numbers and I am very interested in seeing the results of the farm counts and the effectiveness of the scaring methods."