Campaigners fighting for a ban on shooting geese at a Moray nature reserve have been left disappointed by the council’s reluctance to outlaw the practice.
The Friends of Findhorn Bay group issued an emotional appeal before elected members yesterday, imploring them to impose an outright ban on killing geese and ducks at the shore between the village and Kinloss.
But local authority officers stressed the burdensome costs such a sanction could entail, and councillors moved to strike a compromise between the protestors and the huntsmen.
Campaigners amassed more than 800 signatures on a petition calling for a ban, but they learned that those in favour of shooting had circulated a similar appeal.
Lead protestor Lisa Mead began the meeting by addressing the committee directly.
She pleaded with the local authority to “end the insanity” of allowing camouflaged shooters to fire on birds as they flew across the picturesque shore.
But head of direct services, Stephen Cooper, said banning the “well-established practice” would dent the council’s coffers.
He said the legal formalities involved with creating a byelaw could cost the authority £15,000 and a further £20,000 if the request was to go before a public inquiry.
Forres councillor Anne Skene said the debate had become “an emotive and highly charged issue”.
She suggested that an existing “no shooting zone” be extended to direct the activities away from residential areas.
The council’s economic development and infrastructure services committee opted to defer any decision until it had both petitions and could weigh up each side of the argument.
Last night, Mrs Mead vowed to continue pushing for an outright ban rather than a revision of the current guidelines.
She said: “It seems the council is trying to find some arrangement between ourselves and the wildfowling lobby.
“Forcing them to shoot only at certain parts of the bay would be better than nothing.
“But we have not changed our position that shooting is fundamentally incompatible with the bay’s status as a nature reserve.
“It’s disappointing that the council doesn’t want to put a byelaw in place against that.”
Moray MSP Richard Lochhead has spoken with representatives on each side of the shooting debate.
Last night he commended the committee on its decision to delve into matters more deeply before making a decision.