Market's pigeons 'will not be fed contraceptives'

Feeding contraceptives to hundreds of pigeons to limit their numbers at an outdoor market will not be given a trial run by a local authority.

Norwich City Council has been looking into ways to keep the pigeon population down at the main market and war memorial following complaints.

While birth control has been trialled elsewhere in the UK and in European cities including Brussels and Barcelona, the council said the method was not licensed in the UK.

Carli Harper, Labour cabinet member for finance and major projects, said: "The main issue remains that the single most effective thing would be for people to stop feeding them next to the market, which concentrates pigeons in one area."

The complaints are about mess and pigeons flying under market stall canopies when people are trying to buy and eat food.

The contraceptive policy was proposed at a City Hall meeting in January.

Previously the Local Democracy Reporting Service said one trial in Brussels led to bird numbers dropping by 50%.

The trial would have seen contraceptives stocked in bird feeders mixed in with grain and would have made the birds temporarily infertile.

Instead officials are exploring other "humane" control options including egg swapping, which would involve switching the birds' real eggs for fake ones.

This then tricks them into incubating them without laying new ones.

This would prevent new generations from being born while allowing the birds to continue nesting behaviours without stress.

In November, the council spent £4,000 to introduce a group of Harris's hawks to patrol the market as part of a four-week trial.

However, the pilot was paused in January due to people feeding the pigeons "industrial amounts of bird feed".

The hawks were intended to frighten the pigeons away so the birds would roost and nest elsewhere without attacking or killing the pigeons.

However, it sparked backlash leading to a petition with more than 4,300 signatures wanting to see the birds moved and taken care of.

Councillors have voted to introduce fines to those feeding the birds.

Harper said City Hall's previous requests to people to desist was like "fighting a losing battle".

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