To deter flocks of migratory birds from crops, farmers can once again use shotguns to scare off geese this spring as an exceptional measure. Applications for permits to cull geese can still be submitted to the Nature Conservation Agency (DAP). The procedure for compensating losses has changed this year. Compensation for fields eaten by geese will be fairer and closer to actual losses, as there is no longer a maximum compensation threshold.

The sky is shimmering with migratory birds. After a long, tiring journey, they look for a place to rest and feed. In the stubble fields, geese look for sprouted grains and shoots.

Thousands of geese are gathering in floodplains and adjacent fields. In Kurzeme, one farmer has already had at least 10 hectares of winter wheat trampled and eaten by geese.

This is the second year that farmers are allowed, as legally formulated in the regulations, to lethally deter geese. This means shooting a goose from the flock. In total, 1000 birds may be culled in Latvia, and shooting is permitted only with a permit from the DAP.