Straggle Muster 148 - 24/3/2005

The Great Canada Goose Debate Continues - Charlie Pedersen, National Vice President of Federated Farmers

The Canada Goose was introduced to New Zealand by the predecessors of F`n G (or Fish and Game if you feel like being more polite which I do not.)

This very large bird is internationally renowned as being the hardest to hunt of the water birds that are recognised as "game birds".

Sadly as well as being very hard to shoot (because of its size, speed, and cunning, and also it seems its ability to pass on lessons between generations) it is not good to eat. Most that do bother to eat the brutes make them into sausages or salami where their horrible taste can be well hidden with spices and fillers.

All this adds up to a game bird that continues to grow in number because there are not enough geese killed in any given season.

The F`n G guys add to this problem by having short hunting seasons (although there has been some lengthening of seasons lately as they attempt to retrieve some credibility on the issue.)

There has been a significant population of Canada Geese in the South Island High Country in particular. These birds are not hunted to any real extent at all and have been inflicting serious financial cost on many farmers by decimating pastures and sometimes crops.

F`n G have accepted that the geese were out of control and often sunk a few hundred thousand dollars into knocking the numbers back with hired guns in helicopters.

While you would think this would make the farmers happy it has not. The problem is that even when spending big money the guys at F`n G have not been able to get the south island population of Canada Geese down to levels they and the farmers would find acceptable. Because of this, individual farmers often suffer having thousands of dollars worth of feed being destroyed by flocks of Canada Geese.

The geese are a new problem in the lower north island by comparison but are creating considerable damage there now as well.

You'd think with the experience of the south island goose monkey on their back the rocket scientists from F`n G would have been reluctant to let the winged grass gobblers get established. But no. F`n G actually knew the flocks had become established and did not allow any hunting to occur (and then only a very short season) until farmers were screaming for help as the geese wreaked havoc on their farms.

Farmers in the lower north island now want action and are threatening to not allow duck shooters on their farms (this may stop duck hunters bothering to buy licences in some areas which would cut back F`n G`s income) unless F`n G get serious about eliminating the Canada.

Farmers in the south island want F`n G to honour the agreement they have with them with respect to numbers first, before perusing any longer term solution to the problem. It goes without saying that the farmers suffering at the two ends of the "grubby goose" have had a guts full of the cr*p coming out of F`n Game over this whole issue and have gone to the government as F`n Games masters to see if they can help apply enough pressure to remove the goose imported from Canada as being as out of place in this fair land as gorse and left hand drive cars.

Charlie Pedersen
National Vice President of Federated Farmers

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