Scotland’s nature body suggested people should wave their arms above their heads and put “googly eyes” on takeaway boxes to prevent gulls from swooping on them, MSPs have heard.

NatureScot also advised people to stare at gulls because “they do not like eye contact”.

The details emerged at Holyrood after Agricultural Minister Jim Fairlie was challenged on the outcomes of a summit on urban gulls held in Inverness last week.

Fairlie said NatureScot made some “ludicrous” suggestions during the event, but added that a “practical” and “balanced” approach would be taken to tackle the problem.

The Scottish government arranged the summit following concerns about the impact urban gulls were having on communities across Scotland.

Complaints have included excessive noise, mess and gulls swooping on people while they are eating food outdoors.

Scottish Conservative Highlands and Islands MSP Douglas Ross and Fergus Ewing, who is an Independent MSP for Inverness and Nairn, have been among politicians calling for measures to be taken.

In parliament, Fairlie said the Scottish government recognised the strength of feelings in places such as Eyemouth, Dumfries and Aberdeen about the disruption caused by gulls.

He said the concerns were being taken seriously and targeted action would be taken where necessary.

But Fairlie added it was important to be mindful of the birds’ protected status and that some species are in significant decline.

He told MSPs preventative measures included installing deterrents on the roofs of buildings to put gulls off nesting on them, and reducing opportunities for the birds to feed from rubbish bins.

But Ross said he had been told some of the suggestions made at the summit had included people waving their arms and drawing eyes on takeaway boxes “because gulls are scared of being stared at”.

The former Scottish Conservative leader described the advice as “utter nonsense”.

Fairlie accused the Tories of not taking the issue seriously, but added that he had challenged NatureScot on some of its recommendations.

He said: “There were some of the responses that came back from NatureScot that were ludicrous and I have spoken to NatureScot to say we need to find practical solutions.

“Yes, they talked about googly eyes on takeaway boxes, yes they talked about waving their arms in order to distract birds, and yes they talked about staring at sea gulls because sea gulls do not like eye contact.”

The minister also accused the Scottish Conservatives of “sitting and joking about this”.

He went on: “If they want to have a serious discussion let’s have a serious discussion.”