Lapwings were once ubiquitous farmland birds but have declined severely with agricultural intensification. Conservation farming management is essential for their welfare and survival.
Lapwing welfare is compromised at individual and population levels. Individual birds suffer repeated nest failures from agricultural operations during the breeding season. Chick starvation from invertebrate scarcity in intensively managed fields causes welfare harm to successfully hatched broods. At the population level, inadequate recruitment is causing the severe long-term decline. Agri-environment options creating wet areas, managing field margins for tussocky grass, and delaying spring operations around known nest sites directly improve welfare outcomes.