Printer Friendly

PATRICK KRAUSE.

It is great to see spring unfold and with it the lambs being born and the grass coming - a lovely time of year, full of promise. But there is a dark side, brought by predators and pests.

For those readers who are not livestock people, the issue of predation probably does not occur to you as you smile at the frolicking lambs. But it is a very real and harsh reality that many lambs are lost to predators such as foxes, crows and, now, sea eagles. I don't want to labour the point, but the death is not a good one and for the crofter this is heart-wrenching.

Talk to any livestock crofter at this time of year and they will inevitably mention the grass at some point in the conversation - it is what their animals, and therefore they, depend on. So to see the lush green shoots being mown by a vast flock of geese, leaving the pasture pillaged, trampled and soiled, is also heart-wrenching.

The Scottish Crofting Federation has had a lot of feedback from members recently on the effects of the increasing numbers of geese, of incursions by deer and of predation by sea eagles, and so carried out an online survey about conflicts between wildlife and crofting. The results demonstrate that there are some wildlife species whose numbers are threatening crofting incomes and livestock welfare.

Of the 255 who responded, 30% were significantly affected by deer eating grass, trees and feed, 16% were significantly affected by sea eagles taking lambs and even ewes, and 36% were significantly affected by geese eating grass, standing crops and fouling the land. We also asked about any other wildlife species and 40% of respondents said they were significantly affected. There were 26 separate species mentioned, but the biggest categories were corvids and foxes. A number of crofters have given up keeping poultry because of losses to foxes, pine martens, mink and otters despite their efforts to protect the birds.

We knew this was a problem, but the very high proportion of respondents - more than two out of three - who said that their crofting was significantly affected by at least one conflict and more than one in three who were affected by more than one conflict, is extremely worrying.

We are not against wildlife flourishing. Indeed, the extensive agriculture system used by crofters produces good-quality food while protecting the environment, and is responsible for much of the preservation of wildlife in the Highlands and islands. However, there is a balance to be struck between the right of crofters to make a living, the right of domestic animals to live free from pain, injury, distress and fear, and the right of wildlife to thrive in the natural environment.

There are obvious things that can be done and hurdles to overcome. Reducing geese numbers is practical and inexpensive, but crofters cannot cope with the huge numbers - they need help from Scottish Government, but this is not forthcoming. Reducing deer numbers is also relatively easily done, but landowners resist. Sea eagles numbers could be controlled, but the conservation lobby is opposed to this.

We intend to work with Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Government to make sure this point of balance doesn't disadvantage crofters who, after all, are the ones managing the environment for the benefit of all.

CAPTION(S):

| Patrick Krause is chief executive of the Scottish Crofting Federation
COPYRIGHT 2019 NLA Access Media Limited
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2019 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Article Details
Printer friendly Cite/link Email Feedback
Publication:The Press and Journal (Aberdeen,Scotland)
Date:May 18, 2019
Words:567
Previous Article:Sheep get their woollies ready for big day oollies.
Next Article:MacKenzies' manic month has family running about like mad; In her monthly column, Jo MacKenzie writes about life on one of the few remaining dairy...
Topics:

Terms of use | Privacy policy | Copyright © 2024 Farlex, Inc. | Feedback | For webmasters |