New research has shown that farmland birds are thriving where horticultural crops are grown.

The recent project conducted by the Horticultural Development Company (HDC) has discovered some species have higher populations in areas where horticultural crops are grown compared to those areas where arable crops are in production as the birds have more opportunities to forage on invertebrates and weeds.

HDC commissioned the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) to carry out the work. The BTO used population data from the breeding bird survey to look for differences in bird numbers, population trends over time and species diversity between farmland with and without horticultural crops, as indicated by the presence of HDC-registered growers.

Vegetable grower Robin Buck, of Jack Buck Farms in Lincolnshire said: “…This study demonstrates what many growers suspected; that field vegetables and horticulture generally are undervalued in terms of the environmental diversity they provide.”

Of the 18 bird species surveyed, goldfinch were not affected by horticulture crops; corn bunting, greenfinch, grey partridge, kestrel, lapwing, linnet, reed bunting, rook, skylark, stock dove, tree sparrow, turtle dove, whitethroat, yellow wagtail and yellowhammer populations were higher than in arable crops and jackdaw and starling populations decreased in horticultural crops.

NFU horticulture board chairman Sarah Pettitt said: “I am certain that growers will take heart from this research and it complements the work they are doing as stewards of the countryside through various agri-environment schemes and voluntary measures.”