CROFTERS in Lewis and Harris have expressed deep concern that a local goose management scheme is to come to an end this year, creating what they believe to be a bigger threat to the industry than even Brexit.

A public meeting was held in Stornoway Town Hall last Thursday night, attended by up to 100 individuals, to discuss the current 'Threats to Crofting', mainly the uncertainty caused by the UK's withdrawal from the EU next month.

It also comes as the Scottish Affairs Committee is due to visit the island on Monday February 18 to discuss the issue. However, it wasn't the prospect of a group of MPs flying into the island for Brexit discussions that concentrated the minds of crofters at the meeting, but rather the flying menaces in their fields.

A cull scheme has been in operation for the last three years, but the meeting, organised by the Scottish Crofting Federation, heard that the funding was being discontinued by Scottish Natural Heritage this year.

Speaking from the floor, one crofter said: "If the geese numbers are allowed to get even more out of control, it will decimate our land. It will finish crofting on this island."

It is estimated that three geese consume the equivalent of one sheep and, while an accurate assessment of numbers is difficult, it is thought that there are over 10,000 residents on the island all-year round, often targeting the best of grassland and crops.

Donald MacKinnon, vice-chair of the SCF, and a crofter in Lewis, said: "It is absolutely essential the goose management scheme continues to be funded. We're not talking about huge amounts of money here, in terms of a percentage of the total amount of money spent on goose management in Scotland. It's minute really, but the work it does here on the ground in Lewis is essential for crofting.

"If the goose situation is allowed to get out of control again – if the goose management scheme stops – we could run into a situation where crofters give up crofting completely, simply because of the damage geese are causing."