Wildlife

Agricultural Intensification and Farmland Bird Welfare

Agricultural intensification has driven catastrophic declines in farmland bird populations with welfare implications for billions of individuals.

Key Facts

Farmland bird populations have declined by 57% in the UK since 1970
Loss of mixed farming, hedgerows and winter stubble fields has eliminated food and nesting habitat
Pesticide use has reduced invertebrate prey availability for insectivorous farmland birds
Agri-environment schemes that restore habitat have shown measurable population benefits
Species including the lapwing, curlew and yellowhammer face local extinction in intensified areas

Welfare Considerations

Agricultural intensification has caused mass welfare harm through starvation of billions of individual birds unable to find sufficient food in degraded agricultural landscapes. Agri-environment scheme participation by farmers directly improves welfare outcomes for farmland bird populations.

What You Can Do

Support agri-environment scheme funding through political advocacy
Visit and financially support farms participating in higher-tier agri-environment schemes
Record farmland birds to contribute to population monitoring citizen science