diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 5b4a2e2..34248e0 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -78,6 +78,9 @@ wis2-gdc register /path/to/dir/of/wcmp2-files
 # loading metadata manually (from URL)
 wis2-gdc register https://example.org/wcmp2-file.json
 
+# deleting metadata by identifier
+wis2-gdc unregister "urn:wmo:md:ca-eccc-msc:id123"
+
 # loading metadata from a known harvest endpoint
 
 # load from wis2box known deployments (https://demo.wis2box.wis.wmo.int)
diff --git a/wis2-gdc-management/wis2_gdc/__init__.py b/wis2-gdc-management/wis2_gdc/__init__.py
index 2c08ae0..754fac2 100644
--- a/wis2-gdc-management/wis2_gdc/__init__.py
+++ b/wis2-gdc-management/wis2_gdc/__init__.py
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 
 import click
 
-from wis2_gdc.registrar import register, setup, teardown
+from wis2_gdc.registrar import register, setup, teardown, unregister
 from wis2_gdc.archive import archive
 from wis2_gdc.sync import sync
 
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ def cli():
 
 cli.add_command(setup)
 cli.add_command(teardown)
+cli.add_command(unregister)
 cli.add_command(register)
 cli.add_command(sync)
 cli.add_command(archive)
diff --git a/wis2-gdc-management/wis2_gdc/backend/base.py b/wis2-gdc-management/wis2_gdc/backend/base.py
index 9f1efbf..232e00c 100644
--- a/wis2-gdc-management/wis2_gdc/backend/base.py
+++ b/wis2-gdc-management/wis2_gdc/backend/base.py
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ def teardown(self) -> None:
         raise NotImplementedError()
 
     @abstractmethod
-    def save(self, record: dict) -> None:
+    def save_record(self, record: dict) -> None:
         """
         Upsert a resource to a backend
 
@@ -83,5 +83,17 @@ def record_exists(self, identifier: str) -> bool:
 
         raise NotImplementedError()
 
+    @abstractmethod
+    def delete_record(self, identifier: str) -> None:
+        """
+        Delete a record from the backend
+
+        :param identifier: `str` of record identifier
+
+        :returns: `None`
+        """
+
+        raise NotImplementedError()
+
     def __repr__(self):
         return '<BaseBackend>'
diff --git a/wis2-gdc-management/wis2_gdc/backend/elastic.py b/wis2-gdc-management/wis2_gdc/backend/elastic.py
index c6cf1a0..994a76f 100644
--- a/wis2-gdc-management/wis2_gdc/backend/elastic.py
+++ b/wis2-gdc-management/wis2_gdc/backend/elastic.py
@@ -153,10 +153,14 @@ def teardown(self) -> None:
             LOGGER.debug(f'Deleting index {self.index_name}')
             self.es.indices.delete(index=self.index_name)
 
-    def save(self, record: dict) -> None:
+    def save_record(self, record: dict) -> None:
         LOGGER.debug(f"Indexing record {record['id']}")
         self.es.index(index=self.index_name, id=record['id'], body=record)
 
+    def delete_record(self, identifier: str) -> None:
+        LOGGER.debug(f"Deleting record {identifier}")
+        self.es.delete(index=self.index_name, id=identifier)
+
     def exists(self) -> bool:
         LOGGER.debug('Checking whether backend exists')
 
diff --git a/wis2-gdc-management/wis2_gdc/backend/ogcapi_records.py b/wis2-gdc-management/wis2_gdc/backend/ogcapi_records.py
index 18a17e1..fa7a575 100644
--- a/wis2-gdc-management/wis2_gdc/backend/ogcapi_records.py
+++ b/wis2-gdc-management/wis2_gdc/backend/ogcapi_records.py
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ def __init__(self, defs):
         self.conn = Records(env.API_URL)
         self.collection = 'discovery-metadata'
 
-    def save(self):
+    def save_record(self):
 
         ttype = 'create'
 
diff --git a/wis2-gdc-management/wis2_gdc/hook.py b/wis2-gdc-management/wis2_gdc/hook.py
index 457e3cb..b9472d6 100644
--- a/wis2-gdc-management/wis2_gdc/hook.py
+++ b/wis2-gdc-management/wis2_gdc/hook.py
@@ -30,10 +30,19 @@
 
 class DiscoveryMetadataHook(Hook):
     def execute(self, topic: str, msg_dict: dict) -> None:
+        wcmp2_dict = None
+
         LOGGER.debug('Discovery metadata hook execution begin')
         r = Registrar()
 
-        wcmp2_dict = r.get_wcmp2(msg_dict, topic)
+        try:
+            wcmp2_dict = r.get_wcmp2(msg_dict, topic)
+        except (IndexError, KeyError):
+            is_deletion = list(filter(lambda d: d['rel'] == 'deletion',
+                                      msg_dict['links']))
+
+            if is_deletion:
+                r.delete_record(topic, msg_dict)
 
         if wcmp2_dict is not None:
             r.register(wcmp2_dict, topic)
diff --git a/wis2-gdc-management/wis2_gdc/registrar.py b/wis2-gdc-management/wis2_gdc/registrar.py
index d8988d0..7a419c7 100644
--- a/wis2-gdc-management/wis2_gdc/registrar.py
+++ b/wis2-gdc-management/wis2_gdc/registrar.py
@@ -246,10 +246,45 @@ def register(self, metadata: Union[dict, str], topic: str = None) -> None:
 
         message = json.dumps(message).replace(API_URL_DOCKER, API_URL)
 
-        LOGGER.info('Publishing updated record to broker')
+        LOGGER.info('Publishing updated record to GDC broker')
         publish_report_topic = f'origin/a/wis2/{CENTRE_ID}/metadata'
         self.broker.pub(publish_report_topic, json.dumps(ets_results))
 
+    def delete_record(self, topic: str, wnm: dict) -> None:
+        """
+        Delete a metadata document
+
+        :param topic: `str` of incoming topic (default is `None`)
+        :param wnm: `dict` of WNM
+
+        :returns: `None`
+        """
+
+        centre_id = topic.split('/')[3]
+        publish_report_topic = f'monitor/a/wis2/{CENTRE_ID}/{centre_id}'
+
+        message = {
+            'id': str(uuid.uuid4()),
+            'href': None,
+            'report_by': CENTRE_ID,
+            'centre_id': centre_id
+        }
+
+        metadata_id = wnm['properties'].get('metadata_id')
+
+        if metadata_id is None:
+            message['message'] = 'No metadata id specified'
+        else:
+            try:
+                self.backend.delete_record(metadata_id)
+                message['message'] = f'metadata {metadata_id} deleted'
+            except Exception:
+                message['message'] = f'metadata {metadata_id} not found'
+
+        self.broker.pub(publish_report_topic, json.dumps(message))
+
+        return
+
     def _process_record_metric(self, identifier: str, metric_name: str,
                                labels: list,
                                value: Union[str, int, float] = None) -> None:
@@ -317,7 +352,7 @@ def _publish(self):
         """
 
         LOGGER.info(f'Saving to {BACKEND_TYPE} ({BACKEND_CONNECTION})')
-        self.backend.save(self.metadata)
+        self.backend.save_record(self.metadata)
 
     def update_record_links(self) -> None:
         """
@@ -418,6 +453,8 @@ def teardown(ctx, bypass, verbosity='NOTSET'):
     LOGGER.debug(f'Backend: {backend}')
     backend.teardown()
 
+    click.echo('Done')
+
 
 @click.command()
 @click.pass_context
@@ -454,3 +491,23 @@ def register(ctx, path, verbosity='NOTSET'):
                 metadata = fh.read()
 
         r.register(metadata)
+
+    click.echo('Done')
+
+
+@click.command()
+@click.pass_context
+@click.argument('identifier')
+@cli_options.OPTION_VERBOSITY
+def unregister(ctx, identifier, verbosity='NOTSET'):
+    """Unregister discovery metadata"""
+
+    click.echo(f'Unregistering {identifier}')
+    backend = BACKENDS[BACKEND_TYPE]({'connection': BACKEND_CONNECTION})
+    try:
+        LOGGER.debug(f'Backend: {backend}')
+        backend.delete_record(identifier)
+    except Exception:
+        click.echo('record not found')
+
+    click.echo('Done')