Island crofters fear an explosion in the number of geese damaging crops after the Scottish Government failed to continue a cull.
Schemes to shoot greylag geese on Uist, Lewis and Harris and other Scottish islands have ended.
Not so long ago, the Greylag goose was a migratory species but numbers have now exploded out of control.
The wild fowl are a huge pest across the Western Isles with large flocks trampling, soiling and ruining grassland.
Restricted culls had been carried out locally where a team of experienced, volunteer shooters will operate under licence and follow established best practice methods.
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar slammed the Scottish Government for failing develop sustainable plans to control geese numbers.
Council crofting spokesman, Cllr Donald Crichton, warned the soaring numbers of geese are a “real threat to the future of crofting.”
He called for increased funding to create long term sustainable management arrangements in tackling the widespread geese problem.
Environment minister Roseanna Cunningham said geese could still be shot under a general licence.
She said goose meat can be sold under a special permit until March 2019.
However, this deadline is not long enough to give businesses confidence to plan and invest to develop the marketing and sale of the produce, say the council.
There is no indication that off-
“There needs to be a permanent licence beyond 2019 to make this worthwhile for investment and for the potential of funding independent management schemes," said Mr Crichton.
The comhairle plans to meet with the minister over the issue.
Meanwhile, the Scottish Parliament's Cross Party Group on Crofting concluded Roseanna Cunningham has to take much more action to tackle the issue. The panel debated the goose problem this week and is writing to the minister with their concerns.
Geese numbers set to soar after cull ends
26 Oct 2017