RSPB is not the enemy of British farming

Declining farmland birds need farmers to help them recover, that’s the simple message from the RSPB following comments from farmers who claim the Society is attacking them over the declines.

The publication of the latest farmland bird index – owned by the government and developed by the British Trust for Ornithology – shows that the index of 19 species of farmland bird has declined dramatically, reaching its lowest ever level since 1970.

Dr Sue Armstrong-Brown is the RSPB’s head of countryside policy. Speaking exclusively to the Daily Telegraph, she said: "We understand farmers feel defensive when the RSPB comments on the loss of farmland birds from the UK countryside.