Geese (Hansard, 20 December 1994)

§ Mr. Morley
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what non-lethal methods of goose control are approved by his Ministry; and what measure he is taking to promote them.

§ Sir Hector Monro
Copies of the advisory leaflet "Wild Geese and Scottish Agriculture" are available at offices of the Scottish Office Agriculture and Fisheries Department and are issued to farmers who report problems associated with the presence of geese on their land. The leaflet provides information about various scaring devices including flags, scarecrows, gas guns and mechanically operated scarers.

§ Mr. Morley
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are his reasons for the granting of a licence to a farmer on the Solway firth to kill barnacle geese; how 1055W many geese have so far been killed under licence on the Solway firth; and how many are permitted to be killed overall.

§ Sir Hector Monro
Licences were granted in January 1994 and October 1994 for the purpose of preventing serious damage to crops. In issuing licences the Scottish Office Agriculture and Fisheries Department takes into account the history of goose usage of an area, reports of goose numbers at particular times and carries out on-the-ground inspections. Account has also been taken of the outcome of a case in Dumfries sheriff court in which the farmer was acquitted on charges of killing geese without a licence.
Ten geese were reported killed under the licence issued in January and which expired in April. As at 15 December no geese had been killed under the current licence.
The licence is not subject to a bag limit but can be revoked at any time for example for non-compliance with the conditions attached to it.

§ Mr. Morley
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to monitor the damage done to crops by geese in the Solway firth; and if he will make a statement.

§ Sir Hector Monro
The Scottish Office Agriculture and Fisheries Department makes inspections at approximately fortnightly intervals of the farm on the Solway firth where a licence is in operation. The department also inspects other farms where numerous geese have been reported and which might be the subject of future applications for a licence.