Animal cruelty storm as quango slaughters 1,200 greylag geese in a single morning...

By ANDY BEAVEN, NEWS AND FEATURE WRITER Published: 19:00, 1 August 2026 | Updated: 19:06, 1 August 2026 Scotland's nature agency is at the centre of an animal cruelty row after boasting about slaughtering 1,200 wild geese in a single morning. Despite being set up to protect wildlife, NatureScot has been accused of celebrating the ‘mass killing’ of birds. In an attempt to reduce the number of greylag geese, which are considered a pest by farmers as they can damage crops, the agency has sanctioned the use of a method called ‘corralling’. For around a month over the summer, the birds lose some of their feathers – so cannot fly. This allows them to be herded into nets or pens, where they are killed by a technique euphemistically called ‘cranial dislocation’ – which involves using a mechanical tool to break their necks. NatureScot is the lead member of the Scottish Goose Forum (SGF), an official body which advises the government on managing wild goose populations. At a meeting earlier this year, SGF members heard that corralling had been stepped up in Orkney and was also being considered on Tiree and Islay. During 2025, a total of 4,052 greylag in Orkney were culled. More than 1000 of the geese had their necks broken in just a few hours Shooting the geese was not an option The SGF was told: ‘Corralling is proving an efficient method, allowing large numbers of geese to be culled – 1,200 geese in a single morning.’  Animal welfare campaigners said such a large-scale use of corralling was ‘deeply disturbing’. Animal Aid – which fights for the compassionate treatment of animals and whose patron is the TV presenter Chris Packham – said corralling involved ‘targeting birds when they are unable to fly and at their most vulnerable’. A spokesman said: ‘The description of corralling as an “efficient” method, capable of killing up to 1,200 geese in a single morning, is particularly troubling, as it celebrates a method that facilitates the mass killing of animals. ‘Greylag geese are an important part of Scotland’s wildlife and we would like to see greater emphasis on non-lethal approaches.’ Devon Docherty, Scottish campaigns manager at Protect the Wild, added: ‘The idea that 1,200 wild geese can be killed in a single morning is deeply disturbing. ‘These are sentient wild animals, not pests. ‘Greylag geese are an amber-listed Bird of Conservation Concern, and Scotland is home to the UK’s ancestral wild population. They belong here.’ The greylag is the largest breed of wild goose native to Britain, weighing up to 4kg. It has a bulky body, short pink legs, an orange bill and a six-foot wingspan. Some live in Scotland year-round, although their numbers are boosted when flocks migrate south from Iceland over winter, often seen flying in V-shaped formation. They eat grasses, roots and seeds – but also cereal grains such as wheat and barley, making them a significant threat to farm crops. As well as being corralled during the summer, greylags are shot during winter. Another method involves brushing the goose eggs with oil, which stops the chick developing in the shell. Devon Docherty of Protect The Wild said the development was 'deeply disturbing'  In general, all wildfowl are protected under law, but an exemption exists for greylags which means landowners can be granted a licence to kill the birds at any time of year to prevent crop damage. At an SGF meeting earlier this year, NatureScot said £700,000 of public funds had been allocated to groups around the country for the management of greylag geese. A report from Orkney stated: ‘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.’ Groups from Islay, Coll and Tiree said the introduction of corralling was being discussed in order to reduce goose numbers, ‘learning from the experiences on Orkney’. NatureScot said resident greylag goose numbers had increased significantly on Orkney over the past 25 years from a population of 1,500 birds in 2001 to more than 21,000 in 2025 – causing havoc for farmers. A spokesman said: ‘We have been working to find sustainable and humane solutions to control geese. ‘Controlling geese by rounding them up – corralling – when the birds are moulting and unable to fly is a widely used method. ‘It provides a humane and efficient method of controlling geese.’