Crofters take ‘goose war’ toLT minister

The population of greylag geese resident in the Hebrides has now reached ‘unsustainable numbers’, according to the chairman of the Scottish Crofting Federation (SCF).

Donald MacKinnon and other members of a SCF delegation met with the minister for environment, Mairi McAllan, last week to advocate on behalf of the crofters and biodiversity suffering damage caused by geese.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr MacKinnon said the agreed maximum of 4,000 birds for the Uists, which in itself is higher than crofters want, has doubled since the end of the ‘adaptive management’ scheme that was funded by the Scottish Government.

He added: ‘NatureScot, which holds the purse strings, has stopped all funding and we can see no hope of preventing an explosion in goose numbers.’

Mr MacKinnon continued: ‘We argue it is in everyone’s interest to stop this catastrophe continuing. Crofting agricultural practices in the Hebrides, especially on the machair, help to nurture an ecosystem rich in biodiversity, something we must protect for all. The huge numbers of geese grazing and fouling the grass and heritage cereal crops will end crofting here. This will alter the ecosystem to the detriment of the other species. We are seeing the destruction of a world-renowned natural heritage unfolding before our eyes.’

Mr MacKinnon said government policy on goose control had three legs which were now out of balance: conservation of endangered geese; prevention of damage to agriculture and biodiversity, and the responsible use of public money.