During winter in Orkney the number of greylag geese resident and migratory is estimated to be 70,000, creating significant problems for our farmers. What is the current situation with the control and management of the goose population in the islands?
Orkney is a special place for wildlife with many visitors attracted to the islands to experience the natural environment. It is also a successful farming community, as it has been for thousands of years. Wildfowl shooting holidays have become popular with guided shoots taking place during the winter months. Those three sectors do not always live comfortably side by side especially when it comes to the management of Orkney’s goose population.
The county has 24 areas protected for nature conservation and three marine protected areas. The RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) has 12 reserves. Orkney Islands Council has identified 248 nature conservation sites important both for their biodiversity and geologically. (Strategic Environmental Assessment Topic Papers 2025)
Wildlife tourism is very popular with expert guides providing tours for the many visitors who wish to experience Orkney’s wonderful flora and fauna. Those visitors come all year round but some become upset by images they see on social media sites promoting the shooting holidays with rows of dead birds (mostly geese) on display.
The shooting holidays are well organised, profitable, and take safety precautions seriously in the running of their operations. The visitors who come to hunt in Orkney do so in the winter when the goose populations are at their highest. It is seen as one of the ways to control the numbers of geese which trample fields and destroy the young shoots of grass.
People who object to the hunting of geese argue that the policy managed by NatureScot (the body which regulates the shooting) is outdated. A view expressed to The Orkney News stated:
“Scotland is a feeding station, a winter haven and a nesting site for birds.
More than 140 sites are so important for birds they hold international designations.
“So why are NatureScot allowing hunters to use Orkney as a holiday destination for anyone who wants to come shoot our migratory and resident birds.”
And they continued:
“Orkney is being turned into a theme park for trophy hunters from all over the world. Orkney’s wildlife is suffering as a consequence along with thousands of migratory birds. Many regular nature loving tourists are avoiding Orkney and are appalled at the neglect for wildlife.”
Doubt was also cast on the role of NatureScot in dealing with the control and management of geese in Orkney and they accuse the organisation of running the licensing system as “a money grabbing opportunity”.
“Finally, with Avian influenza being ever present in bird populations across Scotland, all shooting of birds should cease with immediate effect until such time as numbers have been properly recorded and populations given chance to recover.”
The Orkney News contacted two of Orkney’s reputable shooting holiday companies for their perspective on the service they offer to visitors and the role they play in the control of the goose population for comment but they did not respond. Unfortunately that means we do not have their side of the arguments for shooting geese, and other wildfowl.
The 70,000 greylag geese that find the fields and green shoots of Orkney’s grass tasty and inviting are a significant problem for our farmers. Various methods are used to control the numbers: shooting, corralling, and egg oiling. None of these methods has made much of an overall impact on the numbers.
In Scotland there is a National Goose Forum (previously the National Goose Management Review Group) established in 2000 by the Scottish Government. Its core objectives are to:
- maximise the value for money of public expenditure on geese management
- meet the UK’s nature conservation obligations for geese, within the context of wider biodiversity objectives
- minimise economic losses experienced by farmers and crofters caused by geese
It meets about three times a year and includes local representatives. The last published minutes are January 2024 and state “The Minister has considered the goose policy review. The Scottish Government anticipates its publication in February 2024 once it has undergone accessibility checks.”
Click on this link to access, Goose management policy review 2022 – updated February 2024
The Orkney News approached NatureScot, as the lead body, for their comment. They said:
NatureScot continues to work closely with the Orkney Local Goose Management Group (LGMG) on sustainable approaches to controlling resident greylag goose geese and their impacts on agriculture. We continue to offer the following support:
- licensing – greylag geese are on the General Licence GL02, allowing their control to prevent serious agricultural damage throughout the year.
- licensing – greylag geese are on General Licence GL15 until 2026 allowing the sale of resident greylag goose meat in Scotland where sourced from Orkney.
- LGMG support – NatureScot continues to contribute to Local Goose Management Group meetings.
- advice – NatureScot continues to provide advice on how to sustainably manage resident greylag goose populations, including how to reduce populations to an agreed target range, and how to maintain the population within the target range
- monitoring – NatureScot continues to monitor goose populations to inform goose policy.
- trialling methods to control goose populations – we are working with the Orkney LGMG to trial different methods for controlling the resident greylag population. This has included supporting a feasibility study into different methods for carrying out a reduction cull of resident greylags, as well as trials of corralling geese. Orkney farmers are now sharing their experiences of that with other goose groups.
Avian flu guidance for shooters is available here: https://basc.org.uk/avian-influenza/
Mairi Gougeon is the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands in the Scottish Government.
A spokesperson for the Cabinet Secretary said:
“Managing vulnerable wild geese populations is a key element of our wider efforts to protect and manage Scotland’s natural environment.
“We know these animals can cause extensive damage to agricultural land which is why we provide support to farmers and land managers who are affected.
“Our goose management schemes are regularly reviewed in order to optimise their effectiveness and we regularly engage with the agricultural community in order to ensure goose management schemes work for them in their respective areas.”
Adding:
Welfare of gamebirds reared for sporting purposes: code of practice – gov.scot
An updated risk assessment has been carried out regarding wildbirds and avian influenza: Rapid Risk Assessment for spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 from wild birds to poultry from the shooting of wild waterfowl and wild game (including formerly captive) birds (publishing.service.gov.uk) which reaffirms the conclusion of earlier assessments that at the time of publication, wildfowling, driven game shooting and pigeon shooting activities are not considered to significantly increase the risk for long distance dispersal beyond that of routine movement of infected wild birds.
The solution to Orkney’s geese problem has no easy answers, indeed very few answers at all. To monitor any methods used to control goose numbers requires adequate funding and research into alternatives. Without that the farmers will continue to see fields of feasting geese, and the tension will continue between those who would rather use a camera than a gun to shoot wildfowl.
Fiona Grahame