Mr. FriskTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what plans she has for reversing the decline in the farmland bird population by 2020;[8169]
(2) what progress she has made in fulfilling the Government's commitment to reversing the decline in the farmland bird population. [8170]
§ Alun MichaelThe farmland bird index, based on populations of 20 species, increased last year, though this may have been partly due to the relatively mild preceding winter. Expert advice is that it will take several years before we could expect to see the effects of current policy measures. Nevertheless, analysis of the underlying trend by the British Trust for Ornithology has shown that the rate of population decline is now slowing.
A number of existing policy measures will help this Department to achieve its Public Service Agreement (PSA) target to reverse the long-term decline in the number of farmland birds by 2020—not least the significant expansion of our agri-environment schemes under the England Rural Development Programme. In particular, we are very hopeful that next year's national rollout of arable Countryside Stewardship options, based on the successful pilot scheme, will prove beneficial for birds.
The reasons for the decline in farmland bird numbers are complex. That is why we have commissioned research from the British Trust for Ornithology, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Oxford University to help us identify more precisely what needs to be done to deliver the PSA target.