Goose eggs destroyed to stop plane strikes at Belfast City airport
ALMOST 1,800 greylag goose eggs have been destroyed in Victoria Park since 2002 to prevent bird strikes affecting aircraft using the neighbouring George Best Belfast City Airport.
The eggs are destroyed by a biologist on behalf of the airport through a process known as egg-pricking in which oil is injected into the egg, preventing the embryo from developing into a chick and hatching. The airport has held a licence to carry out egg pricking since 2002.
The BBC said a Freedom of Information request had revealed that since 2002, 1,775 greylag goose eggs had been pricked.
Numbers vary each year, ranging from fewer than 50 to more than 250.
The airport said the technique is the most humane way to manage the population and that no adult geese had been killed.
An airport spokesperson said: “In order to control the feral geese population in Victoria Park, the oiling and pricking of eggs is undertaken by a biologist under licence from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) and with the permission of Belfast City Council.
“The airport has a legal obligation to reduce the number of hazardous wildlife in the vicinity of the airport and do this through consultation with local authorities and wildlife experts.
“Earlier this year Belfast City Airport was named Northern Ireland’s Responsible Company of the Year by Business in the Community and, like all airports, is committed to managing its operations in an environmentally sensitive manner while ensuring air safety.”
Green Party councillor Georgina Milne, who represents the area, said a more humane and cost-effective solution is needed.
“Geese like very flat green grass so if you start to plant spiky grass it’s not as hospitable for them. More experimentally in America, they are starting to use drones to try and scare the geese away,” she said.
“It’s about balancing the very real health and safety risk with animal welfare and I really think that if we try to prevent the geese from landing here, rather than destroying their eggs, it will be much better.”
An NIEA spokesperson said: “NIEA accepts that an increase in the feral greylag goose population within Victoria Park presents a bird strike risk to planes using Belfast City Airport.
“To reduce the risk to airline passengers and residents within the area of the airport, licences are issued to prick eggs in order to reduce the goose population in the park. NIEA considers this the most practical and humane way to address the problem.”