The Council of State reprimanded the province of Overijssel for shooting large numbers of geese in various natural areas. According to the Council, the highest administrative court in the Netherlands, the provincial government did not conduct enough research into the consequences of killing these animals on such a large scale, ANP reports.

The Council ordered the province to do this research within six months. 

This is not the first time the Council of State reprimands Overijssel for shooting birds in the so-called Natura 2000 areas. In 2015 the Council stopped a decision by the province to allow the shooting of certain types of geese without a permit, according to the news wire. Then too the Council ruled that the provincial government did too little research to permit this.

Bird protection organization Vogelbescherming filed this case against the province because the organization believes that hunting these geese seriously disturbs the natural balance in the natural areas. The province wants to allow it because the geese cause major crop damages for farmers in the area.