The hunt for gray geese is accelerated because they destroy the farmers’ crops – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio

Several farmers have felt the consequences of having hordes of geese trampling around their fields. The areas where a lot of salad and vegetables are produced are particularly exposed to the gray geese’s hungry beaks. In the field of agronomist and lessee Mikael Wabø in Melsomvik in Sandefjord, the birds have made a big dent in his crops. Asparagus beans have gained momentum. WATCH HERE: Mikael Wabø, tenant farmer and agronomist, demonstrates and explains the damage gray geese cause to his crop in Melsomvik Photo: Mads Thygesen / news – One plant has the potential for 20-30 asparagus beans, so it’s quite a big loss, says Wabø. The population is increasing There are no national figures for how much damage the greylag goose inflicts on farmers in Norway each year. According to the Norwegian Farmers’ Association, there are large local differences. One field may be invaded by greylag geese, while another may be left almost untouched. The problem with the greylag goose has grown bigger, literally, in recent years. The population has increased, says goose expert and ecologist, Gøril Bruun Andersen. IMPORTANT TO REDUCE THE CONFLICTS: We must live together with wildlife and humans. So it is very important that we regulate and reduce the conflicts, says ecologist Gøril Bruun Andersen. Photo: Private Last year the population was around 130,000 geese. And they eat most of what they come across, says Bruun Andersen. – It is around their resting areas that the damage is greatest. The goose is a herbivore and eats grass, grain, seeds and all plants it finds in the fields now. Therefore, it has become a nuisance for agriculture, she says. She adds that it is important to hunt greylag goose, even though it is probably here to stay. – It is a species that belongs in nature, but all species must be regulated. We must live together with wild animals and humans. So it is very important that we regulate and reduce the conflicts. Want to scare the birds The geese eat, trample and leave excrement in Mikael Wabø’s field. PESTS: The enormous numbers of gray geese that occupy fields across the county are destroying the crops of the farmers. Photo: Linda Bjørgan / news He has had the application for reduction of damage approved by the municipality and can take ten greylag geese. Half of it has been felled, and Wabø is already seeing signs of improvement. – There have been animals here today, but nowhere near as many as in the past. If we hunt a little during the week, I think it will help a lot. Wabø hopes the birds will soon understand that it is not safe to be there. Greylag goose Greylag goose is a species of bird in the duck family. It is a large and heavy goose that today nests along the entire Norwegian coast, in southern Norway also at nutrient-rich lakes in the lowlands. Greylag geese are widespread from Iceland and Scotland, and further through large parts of northern Europe and Russia to the Pacific Ocean in the east. In Norway, it now breeds along the entire coastline from Østfold to Finnmark. However, it is most numerous in Møre and Romsdal, Trøndelag and Nordland. In southern Norway, it has gradually also begun to breed at nutrient-rich lakes in the lowlands. Grågåsa has in recent years also established itself in a number of new places around the Oslofjord. Source: Great Norwegian Lexicon



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