Crop protection from wildlife damage is essential for farmers but methods vary enormously in welfare impact, from lethal control to effective deterrents.
Crop protection creates inevitable tension between farmer livelihoods and wildlife welfare. Lethal control is often chosen by default when non-lethal alternatives have not been fully explored. Evidence shows many non-lethal deterrents are highly effective while creating no welfare harms. Integrating welfare-friendly crop protection into farming advisory services would reduce unnecessary wildlife killing.