Winter crops are threatened by goose migration

Given the current warm weather conditions, most of Latvia is experiencing intensive migratory bird migration, which this year has coincided with a situation when winter pastures are not covered by snow, so geese will stay in the fields longer and use the available food base there. Migratory birds in these areas cause irreversible damage in the amount of up to 100% and losses due to damage caused by migratory birds are significant - from 300 to 500 euros per hectare.

Currently, massive flocks of migratory birds have been observed in many places in Latvia, including geese, which have caused the greatest damage to cereal, pea and bean crops in recent years. Of the more than 400 applications from Latvian farmers for lethal goose repelling, only 140 have been approved.

The actual losses caused by geese to Latvian farmers are measured in several million euros. In 2017, farmers had to experience losses caused by rains and floods. In 2018, many parts of Latvia were hit by a devastating drought. Geese damage is another challenge that farmers are powerless to deal with, as repelling geese with conventional methods is not effective. Unlike other European Union countries, hunting migratory birds in Latvia in the spring is prohibited.

In Latvia, the current practice for combating geese is compensation for damage caused by migratory birds, provided that preventive measures or repelling measures have been taken. However, there are limitations on the amount of compensation “De minimis”, which provides for no more than 25 thousand euros per farm over three years – the funding is put in the same basket as other compensations and is not able to cover the actual losses. Already last year, we received a promise from the DAP and the Ministry of Regional Development and the Environment that if funding is lacking, the DAP and the Ministry of Regional Development and the Environment will turn to the government for additional funding, however, the government has not yet considered this issue. Still, a large number of farmers have not yet received compensation for the damage caused in 2019, which farmers reported to the DAP and which was calculated.

Alberts Gailums, Executive Director of the LPKS “Barkavas arodi”: "The first migratory birds appeared on the Barkava side three weeks ago, and more and more of them are arriving at the winter crops every day. So far, to scare away migratory birds, we have placed flags on the crops, used agro-lasers and scaring with noise, which are not effective methods in the long term, because the birds fly to the neighboring field for a short time. Approximately 50% farmers in our cooperative have still not received compensation for the damage caused by geese last year. Such damage by geese and incomplete DAP support threaten the turnover and essence of our cooperative."

Edgars Putra, Z/S Pīlādži: "On the Kurzeme side, in Durbe municipality, geese began to gather in flocks of approximately 1,000 individuals two weeks ago. To combat migratory birds, we placed scarecrows in our sown areas, but they only worked effectively for the first two days. After the damage caused by these birds, the potential yield of the sown areas is close to zero, which is a real loss for farmers. Therefore, I believe that the farmers' concern about the delay in issuing permits and paying compensation by the DAP is justified. Although we are among those farms that received a permit from the DAP for lethal repelling of geese, the set limit of 10 individuals is too small. However, what is more surprising is that we are only allowed to scare geese in part of the areas applied for, but it is not allowed in winter wheat sown areas, where the concentration of geese is the highest. Therefore, the question is, according to what criteria the DAP has issued this permit? I believe that it is important to choose – allow lethal repelling of geese or fully compensate for the loss of cropland.”

Mareks Berzins, Z/S Lojas: “The situation in Northern Vidzeme, in the Mazsalaca region with migratory geese is still tolerable. Currently, the concentration of geese on the fields is not too high to cause significant damage to the sown areas, but it is only a matter of time. Whooper swans have also been observed on the fields, which arrived two weeks earlier and gathered in unusually large flocks, and the peculiarity this year is that the swans do not change their locations. In places where such flocks of migratory birds stay for a long time, the sown areas are practically destroyed. Farmers also find the DAP's attitude towards the promised permits for lethal repelling of geese incomprehensible, because currently only 140 of the 400 applications submitted have been approved. Only those farms that submitted applications first have been granted these permits, while the fields of the rest will remain unprotected. The deadlines within which the DAP issued these permits were also too long to be able to quickly improve anything. Currently, there are more than answers.”

In the European Union, bird hunting in the traditional sense is prohibited in the spring, however, various exceptions are provided for. One of the exceptions is to prevent damage to agriculture. For example, in Estonia, for the second year in a row, permits have been issued to farmers to protect their fields against damage by geese. The association “Farmers’ Council” has also evaluated possible measures to reduce the damage caused by geese in crop production within its competence and believes that existing preventive measures are ineffective against scaring geese away from crops. Combined with the ability of birds to remember “dangerous places”, lethal scaring is the most effective solution for reducing damage, not for complete prevention. Such a solution would not harm the goose population, because the volumes of lethal scaring would not be large – the birds would be scared off after the first shot, leave the field and avoid the specific places in the future. As a result, the maximum effect would be achieved with minimal population losses.