National Goose Forum minutes: February 2026

Attendees and apologies

Attendees and apologies

 

• Sam Turner, SG (Chair) 
• Rae McKenzie, NatureScot
• Donald Fraser, NatureScot
• Jenny Park, NatureScot (secretariat)
• Jessica Shaw, NatureScot
• Emily Strong, NatureScot
• Nils Bunnefeld, Stirling University
• Paul Walton, RSPB
• Steve Campbell, SASA
• Teresa Frost, BTO
• Donna Smith, SCF
• Brian Minshull, BGAG
• Peter Isaacson, Tiree and Coll LGMG
• Craig Archibald, Islay LGMG
• Alastair Watson, Orkney LGMG
• David Muir, Uist LGMG
• Alastair Martin, Solway LGMG
• Georgina Watson, NFUS
• Rebecca Fraser, BASC

Apologies

 Aidan Bennet, Shetland LGMG

• Peter Clark, BASC
• Ross Dunsmore, RPID

Items and actions

Sam welcomed everyone to the meeting and invited new members to introduce themselves.

Updates from LGMGs

Uist & Barra – David Muir

Damage to machair caused by ever increasing numbers of greylag has reached a crunch point where there is now not enough landrace seed to plant this year’s crop. Although a few crofters do have enough seed for their own use, they have no surplus to sell as they would have done in the past. Others have insufficient or no seed for sowing this spring.

Because of the damage geese cause to standing crops of ripening traditional corn, crofters have gradually been giving up keeping corn for seed. In turn this has resulted in even more increased goose pressure on the fewer areas of seed crops left.

Machair cropping on Uists has reached crisis point, with a risk that this form of traditional management, and the biodiversity that it delivers, will disappear in a matter of a few years. The Uist LGMG seeks guidance from the Forum, and NatureScot on possible solutions.

The Uist Goose Management Group uses the funding received from SG / NatureScot to pay marksmen £8 per goose shot so for example £10K pays for 1,250 geese to be culled. The current level of cull is insufficient to keep the population under control and a request has been made to the Minister for an additional £20K.

The Group also has concerns about barnacle geese which are increasing in numbers and spreading southwards. The count undertaken late 2025 was around 11,000 barnacle geese mainly in North Uist with many having spread to Benbecula and South Uist.

Orkney – Alastair Watson

Scottish-breeding greylag counts go back over 10 years with numbers around 21,000 in 2012 reaching over 27,000 in 2021 and 2023. In August 2023, 27,386 birds were counted with 17,190 in August 2024, and 20,333 in August 2025. Some count figures are thought to be underestimates e.g. in 2025 Papa Westray was not included in the count and it is estimated that 2-3,000 birds may have been missed.

Some small-scale egg oiling is undertaken however efforts concentrate on marksmen shooting in the spring, targeting nesting pairs, and corralling in the summer with shooting in August and September where crops are getting damaged. (The early barley harvest last year meant less greylag damage and so less birds shot.) From September onwards local guides will have clients up right through until the end of January and some in February shooting greylags and pink-footed geese under licence. Pink-footed geese are becoming an increasing problem from January right through until April damaging grass before lambing time and also barley as it is sown.

In 2024 2,898 greylag were culled (2,268 birds by marksmen shooting, 630 birds by corralling). In 2025 4,052 greylag were culled (2,489 marksmen shooting, 1,563 by corralling)

Control efforts are keeping a lid on numbers but are not bringing the population size down. Corralling is proving an efficient method allowing large numbers of geese to be culled – 1,200 geese in a single morning. The group have been sharing their corralling experience with the Tiree LGMG.

Solway - Alastair Martin

The barnacle goose population has recovered from the reduction seen three years ago resulting from the avian flu outbreak.

The scheme has not changed in the past few years however the count has changed in frequence from fourteen to six days to save money.

Islay – Craig Archibald

Greenland barnacle goose - avian flu reduced the population down to 25/27K but it is now back to 30K this winter. Lethal scaring is being used with measures in place to protect Greenland white-fronted geese.  

Greylag – population fluctuates from 1,000-2,000 in winter to 5,000-6,000 in summer / autumn. These birds have appeared recently on Islay and are causing damage to barley crops. There has been some discussion about trying corralling to bring numbers down.  

Greenland white-fronted goose – population is around 5,000 on Islay.

The LGMG isn’t as strong as it used to be, members have left. There’s a need for a review of payments / refresh of scheme with multi-year funding.

It is felt that population counts are inaccurate for a variety of reasons including sea eagles causing flocks to move during counts, which results in landowners not receiving the correct amounts of money from the scheme.

Tiree and Coll – Peter Isaacson

Greylag - numbers have increased to 3,500 since the covid lockdown. Control is by shooting and egg-oiling (undertaken by volunteers). Despite these efforts, numbers are not going down. Efforts are being made to source alternative funding for additional control and there are plans to attempt corralling, learning from the experiences on Orkney. There is the feeling that whatever control is done, geese from elsewhere will replace those taken.

Barnacle geese – population has increased from 5,000 to 7,000. The group feels that more crofters should be receiving funding, with equity of payment with Islay.

Greenland white-fronted goose – population has declined by 200 over last 10 years.

Lewis and Harris – no representation at meeting

Shetland – no representation at meeting

Bean Goose Advisory Group - Brian Minshull

Brian provided a verbal summary of the written update circulated day before. Brian highlighted the species name error in written update. 

Brian highlighted that there are only 170 bean geese in UK and that we have responsibilities for their management as set out in the recently published revised Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) International Single Species Action Plan. 

Importantly, AEWA now recognises the Scandinavian breeding population in its own right (rather than just part of a larger breeding population as previously) and as such there is now a stated commitment to ”increase the population size of the Scandinavia (breeding) population to at least 2,000 (from an estimated 1,000) individuals (spring), while maintaining this population’s range at no less than its current extent and increasing the quality and extent of its habitat”.

Action Point (AP): LGMGs are invited to provide written updates to Jenny for inclusion in the minutes.

Goose Policy Delivery Plan - Rae McKenzie

The delivery plan was expected to be completed by 31 December 2024 but lack of staff resource has resulted in delay. Another constraint is the year-on-year funding and the review of rural payment policy. The Plan attempts to set out recommendations as short, medium and long, term approach.

A number of groups expressed disappointment about the lack of progress with the Plan, about the lack of funding commitment and precise timescales.

Comments received on individual recommendations of the plan are summarised here:

Recommendation 1 – no comments received

Recommendation 2 - Development of national and international species plans:

There was some discussion around the population estimates for barnacle geese and how these are calculated. Comment about lack of flexibility in barnacle scheme – that populations can increase quickly and schemes don’t account for the changes. Comment that the schemes don’t cover a wide enough geographical area; that Tiree and Uist should be included. 

Uist group expressed disillusionment with regard to the management plan for Scottish breeding greylag that was due to be started years ago. NatureScot provided reassurance that work will begin this spring.

RSPB commented that reliable bag data is a requisite for development of an adaptive management programme and highlighted the importance of Uist landrace seed for machair and associated biodiversity; that the urgency of the situation caused by excessive greylag must be recognised. SG are awaiting a submission from RSPB around the possibilities of self-funding of greylag control. 

Action Point (AP): RSPB to submit a letter to SG outlining possible options for self-funding of greylag control

Recommendation 3 – Public funding:

NatureScot provided reassurance that the issue of graylag impact on machair is being taken seriously and that work is being undertaken to provide options for consideration. To date £700,000 of public funding has been allocated to LGMGs for the management of greylag goose.

There was discussion about the difficulties in securing income from the sale of goose meat: that only one in four carcasses from shot birds are suitable to enter the food chain and that to do at any scale, a processing shed / investment is needed. It was suggested that selling of greylag meat is not a way to generate significant finance.

RSPB reported that they previously ran a machair scheme and took on goose management directly; that it worked well initially but ended due to lack of funding.

Recommendation 4 – Develop Future Support for Goose Management:

There was mention of the Climate Change Plan for Scotland and the concept of Just Transition – the question of who should bear the costs of impacts from increasing greylag populations.

There was discussion about the role of Estates in taking responsibility for contributing to greylag control efforts and the potential to grow the role of shooting parties. 

Recommendation 5 – Goose Management Delivery:

Members welcomed the recognition of the need for multi-year funding. Discussion about the potential advantages and disadvantages for funding goose management through agri-environment schemes; the complexity of goose schemes and how this would be difficult to accommodate through AECS, the need for funding to go to LGMGs rather than individuals, issues with schemes being competitive, weakening of the AECS budget overall, and the potential longer-term funding with AECS schemes running for 5 years.

SG provided reassurance around options and that any shift to agri-environment funding wouldn’t happen quickly; that it would be a long-term approach as part of rural payment reform.

NatureScot commented that the emphasis must be to clarify what the need is rather on where the funding may come from.

Recommendation 6 – Management of Greylag Geese:

It was asked whether any powers can be used to access land for control of greylag geese.

Action Point (AP): NatureScot to look into powers to access land for purpose of greylag control.

See also comments under recommendations 2 & 3.

Recommendation 7 – Air Safety: no comments

Recommendation 8 & 9 – Stakeholder Engagement: - no comments

Recommendation 10 – Delivery Plan: no comments

Recommendation 11 – Integration with wider wildlife management approaches:

Discussion about the potential for integration with other wildlife management approaches such as the forum for deer management and the Minister’s Wildlife Forum.

Simplification of Schemes – Rae McKenzie

This item was not considered separately as it was covered in the discussion around previous items.

Icelandic Greylag Population Work – Jess Shaw

There is concern about the Icelandic-breeding greylag population which has led to reclassification of its conservation status by AEWA to showing rapid short-term decline (Column A, Category 3(e) status (1)). Goose census data suggests the population has declined in recent years but the numbers don’t add up when compared with harvest data. This incongruity is thought to be due to population being undercounted as a result of limitation of count methodology. NatureScot and the Icelandic Institute of Natural History have been working to gain an improved estimate of population size using satellite tagging. 

A complication is created by the geographical overlap in range between Icelandic and Scottish-breeding birds. To better understand this overlap around 70 Icelandic-breeding birds have been fitted with satellite tags. Tagged birds are compared with counted birds to understand discrepancy and estimate undercount. Analysis of this data will provide increased confidence about population levels and allow AEWA to consider whether the rapid short-term decline (Column A, Category 3(e) status (2)) is correct.

RSPB commented that for species in short-term decline (Column A, Category 3(e) status (3)), hunting should be done under adaptive harvest management and that this requires the submission of bag data which is not currently done.

Resident Greylag – Jenny Park

Discussion of greylag under previous agenda items negated the need for further discussion here.

NatureScot intend to start work on developing a greylag management plan in April this year with an initial focus on stakeholder consultation.

Greenland White-fronted goose concerns – Rae McKenzie

Spring count shows population has dropped significantly to 16,000: 5,000 in Ireland and 11,000 in GB. This alarming decline is thought to be a result of poor weather (spring snow in Iceland) and illegal hunting in Iceland. In Scotland most roost sites covered through Protected Sites status and peatland restoration is helping to improve habitat. More information provided in written update provided in advance of meeting

Any other current business

After the meeting it was realised that, in error, the rep for Lewis and Harris LGMG, Donald MacKinnon, had not been invited to the meeting. Jenny to ensure notes of the meeting are shared with Donald along with an apology for the oversight.

Date of next meeting.

Action Point (AP): Jenny to canvass for dates for next meeting.

Jenny Park

13 February 2026

References

 

1. AEWA Agreement Text and Annexes, 2022 (Table 1a/7 Status of the Populations of Migratory Waterbirds Key to Classification) - https://www.unep-aewa.org/sites/default/files/instrument/aewa_agreement_text_2023-2025_mop8.pdf
2. AEWA Agreement Text and Annexes, 2022 (Table 1a/7 Status of the Populations of Migratory Waterbirds Key to Classification) - https://www.unep-aewa.org/sites/default/files/instrument/aewa_agreement_text_2023-2025_mop8.pdf
3. AEWA Agreement Text and Annexes, 2022 (Table 1a/7 Status of the Populations of Migratory Waterbirds Key to Classification) - https://www.unep-aewa.org/sites/default/files/instrument/aewa_agreement_text_2023-2025_mop8.pdf