Growing problems with cranes that destroy crops

In the area of ​​Ingmår on the eastern side of Fryken north of Sunne, thousands of cranes ravage during spring and autumn migration, but now there are also large flocks that stay over the summer.

- It is a growing problem. Since the growth is between five and seven percent every year, the number of cranes that come to our sown fields increases, says farmer Ingemar Robertson in Ingmår.

The County Administrative Board of Värmland provides compensation of hundreds of thousands of kronor per year for preventive measures as well as for injuries caused by cranes and geese.

- There can be so much damage that there is nothing to harvest. They trample down, eat up and destroy, Ingemar Robertson explains.

In the first place, farmers try to scare away the cranes with, for example, LPG cannons, flag ribbons and rubber men. Four farmers in the area of ​​Ingmår have also invested in combining it with so-called diversion fields with attractive grain where they try to control the cranes.

But the cranes quickly get used to scare tactics, and no matter how beautiful the cranes are, a farmer in southern Värmland has recently received permission from the county administrative board to hunt for protection on some cranes in order to get rid of crane flocks that destroy the crops.

- If the damage is large enough and the populations strong enough, then it should be possible to conduct protection hunting with permission from the county administrative board, says game manager David Höök at the County Administrative Board in Värmland.