By Julie Waters
A KILLINCHY farmer fears his family’s Highland cattle could be forced off their idyllic island home after an invasion by thousands of feral Barnacle geese created an ‘environmental catastrophe’.
Local farmer John McCann says the Barnacle geese have stripped away much of the grass and, together with drought conditions have put the water supply at risk at Trasnagh Island in Strangford Lough.
Mr McCann says the situation has reached a critical point as his cattle and sheep have been left with little pasture on the 30-acre island while the watering holes have been turned into a ‘fly-infested mudbath’ contaminated by geese droppings. The farmer believes that water may have to be transported to the island every few days ‘simply to keep the cows and calves alive’.
Mr McCann is now calling on environmental authorities to intervene and carry out measures to control the goose population before the ‘unique island ecosystem and its historic herd are damaged beyond recovery’.
Last year a wildlife licence was issued to cull a small number of the geese and bangers were permitted to scare off the birds, but Mr McCann says these failed to resolve the problem.
Mr McCann now fears the eco- system on the island, which has been farmed by his family since the 18th century, is now under such severe pressure that ‘island life is basically lost’.
He described the drying up of one of the watering holes as ‘something that has never happened before in living memory’; and explained he has brought hay over for the cattle and reduced the number of grazing sheep from 100 to 30 in a bid to save island life.
He has also managed to clean out one of the island’s three watering holes, providing the last water source for both his cattle and sheep. Mr McCann said his Highland cattle, which are collectively known as a fold, includes a bull, four cows and a number of calves, and they were ‘designed’ for island life.
“Despite being called Highland cattle, the breed was especially developed for rough grazing and living outdoors all year round,” said the farmer. “The island environment has suited them for years because they breed successfully, with cows requiring almost no husbandry.”
He described the success of the fold as ‘remarkable’ and said the ‘well- known Scottish breed has, for many years, found the island a refuge they were seemingly designed for’.
However Mr McCann said: “The feral geese have devastated the island, both through the loss of grass available for the cattle and through the damage caused to the natural environment around the watering area.
“I believe their presence has turned what was once a balanced and sustainable island environment into an environmental catastrophe.”
Mr McCann said the situation also highlights a wider conservation concern: “Trasnagh Island has supported this traditional, low-input farming system for generations, while providing a natural refuge for a distinctive and iconic breed of cattle.
“The Highland cattle have been carefully adapted to the island’s rough grazing and outdoor conditions, making the herd an important example of how traditional farming and the natural environment can work together.
“The increasing pressure from drought, combined with large concentrations of feral geese and the resulting loss of vegetation and water, now threatens that balance.” Mr McCann appealed to the environmental authorities to ‘urgently intervene and provide help and advice’.
He said action is needed to ‘address the increasing pressure on the island’s natural resources, find a sustainable solution to the problems caused by the large numbers of feral geese, and protect the fragile environment for the future’.
“The future of this unique enterprise may depend on finding a sustainable way to manage the competing pressures on the island, protecting its natural environment while ensuring that the Highland cattle, which have thrived there for generations, can continue to do so.”
Mr McCann appealed for help saying: “I am asking the environmental authorities to listen, to visit Trasnagh Island and to help find a practical and sustainable solution before this unique island ecosystem and its historic herd are damaged beyond recovery.”
