English FA criticised for killing 60 geese for defecating on football pitches in 2018-2019

Football Association (FA) chiefs in England have been accused of being hypocrites for getting rid of over 60 geese between 2018-19, who were said to be defecating on England pitches. As reported by The Sun, the greylag birds were killed to 'preserve public health and safety' for the England national side at Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. The English FA killed the geese after getting a permitted license as the birds started defecating in public places near the National Football Centre, which are closed for now due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

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FA kill geese at St George's Park

'Stop The Cull' activist Jay Tiernan stated: “There is something sinister in creating a pond to show your green credentials only to slaughter the birds that come to use it because you don’t like bird poo on your lawn. Their planning applic­ation in part hinged on the benefits of the development to wildlife. So to then go and kill the geese is shocking. It’s a terrible act of hypocrisy. Let the wild be wild. Nature should be allowed to flourish and organisations like the FA should lead the way with a far more holistic approach.”

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FA was concerned that players can slip at the Staffordshire site. The killing of the geese took place between 2018 and 2019. As stated by Natural England records, acquired by an animal rights NGO 'Stop the Cull', the FA were handed permission to kill up to 50 geese a year starting from 2016. St George’s Park's management, which started in October 2012 for a whopping cost of £105 million, was against feeding the birds publicly as they also installed fences around the ponds. 

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