Wildlife

Wild Nesting Farmland Birds: Machinery Timing Welfare

Agricultural machinery operations during the breeding season are a major cause of farmland bird nest failure with preventable welfare costs.

Key Facts

Grass cutting for silage in May-June coincides with peak ground nesting bird activity
Lapwing, skylark, and curlew nests are destroyed by cutting machinery annually at scale
Delay of first cut by 2-3 weeks allows many nests to hatch successfully
Nest finding and marking before operations saves individual nests at negligible cost

Welfare Considerations

Farmland bird eggs and chicks killed by cutting machinery die from traumatic injury. The welfare cost across UK farmland is enormous but preventable. Targeted interventions including cutting delay, inward-to-outward cutting direction, and nest marking provide immediate welfare benefit.

What You Can Do

Contact local RSPB and wildlife trusts to volunteer for farmland nest finding
Support agri-environment schemes requiring breeding bird-sensitive cutting timing
Advocate for mandatory nesting bird cutting protocols in farm subsidy conditions