Campaigners who want an end to geese shooting at a Moray beauty spot have called for a blanket ban on guns until a long-term solution can be reached.
The council could also spend at least £15,000 on an external mediator to find a compromise in the long-running row over wildfowling at Findhorn Bay tomorrow – and potentially spend a further £20,000 on top of that.
A permit system which had been introduced in an effort to regulate activity at the site has had limited response, with just 23 people signing-up out of an estimated 100 wildfowlers.
Now the authority will consider whether it should retain the permits, introduce a bye-law or bring in outside mediation.
Until a permanent solution which satisfies both sides is arrived at, campaigners claim shooting should be banned entirely.
Louis Bezuidenhout, a member of Friends of Findhorn Bay (FFB), said: “The councillors should accept their duty of care and should make constructive arrangements to stop the shooting as what’s taking place at the moment is a free-for-all.
“If the council does not agree to ban shooting all together the only logical course would be to ban it until such time as a proper constructive arrangement has been made.”
Part of the land owned by Moray Council had been designated off-limits in an effort to strike a compromise between the shooters and protesters, as well as the permit system.
However there have been complaints from both sides about the viability of the permits, with most wildfowlers refusing to take part in the scheme due to concerns about how personal information would be stored and anger at the system being developed without their input.
Meanwhile, FFB has said that many wildfowlers flout the rules and continue to shoot when and where they are not permitted to.
Tomorrow councillors will consider the responses to a survey on the effect of the permits.
They will also look at the next steps in resolving the issue, which include hiring an external firm to broker a solution..
A report prepared in advance of the meeting states: “While no group ruled out further mediation there is a broad range of views expressed on the success that further mediation would have.
“Only three of the groups indicate that it would be possible for them to contribute and it would be questionable if they would contribute in the knowledge that other groups had refused.
“The amount of contribution that each could offer could vary, leading to possible divisions before mediation had even started.
“In practical terms therefore, if mediation is favoured, the council would require to at least underwrite the costs.”
Scottish Natural Heritage has offered to joint-fund the process but officers have also warned that while this option would be preferred, it might not be successful.
The report also states that any action would likely ultimately lead to a bye-law, which in itself would cost up to £20,000 if it is contested by the Scottish Government.
In the long-term, a bye-law would have to be reviewed every 10 years which would cost an estimated £10,000 to £35,000.
The report adds: “There is currently no budget for this and the amount of work required is beyond the capacity of existing staff and so the work would either require to be outsourced or priority work deferred.
“There is no current provision in budgets for the financial implications identified in this report. The council is seeking to achieve significant savings and any additional recurring costs approved increase the pressure on the council’s finances.”
No one from the Support Findhorn Bay Wildfowlers campaign could be reached for comment.
