BirdWatch Ireland has today (Tuesday, July 5) warned heritage minister Darragh O’Brien, Minister of State for heritage, Malcolm Noonan and agriculture minister, Charlie McConalogue that changes in the regulation of nitrates to require that tillage farmers reduce winter stubble by 85-90% on tillage land could have “catastrophic impacts” on farmland birds that use the habitat.
According to BirdWatch Ireland, several farmland bird species that rely on winter stubble are already Red or Amber-listed Birds of Conservation Concerning and their future is precarious.
The organisation has called on the government to suspend proposed changes until research can be carried out to determine the effects they will have on threatened farmland bird species.
Any proposed legal changes to winter stubble on tillage land must be assessed for impacts on these species before being implemented, BirdWatch Ireland has stressed.
Winter stubble
The government is proposing to mandate that farmers cease the practice of leaving winter stubble on 85-90% tillage land.
This would be without an assessment of the impacts on farmland birds that rely on the habitat.
BirdWatch Ireland said it supports real and significant cuts in chemical and organic nitrogen on all farmland, but the planned new measure will not result in cuts in fertiliser and will have a disproportionate adverse impact on farmland bird populations.
In a statement, the bird conservation group said: “The overloading of organic and chemical fertiliser on farmland is the leading source of pollution in our rivers, lakes and the marine environment, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
“This pollution poses a significant threat to water birds such as ducks and kingfishers and impacts our estuaries and the migratory wintering water birds that inhabit them.”
One of the proposed responses to this pollution is the requirement that all tillage farms cultivate soils to promote green cover in winter as a method to reduce leaching.
However, BirdWatch Ireland has said that this would be at the expense of winter stubbles, which, research shows, is important for up to 30 bird species including skylark; European golden plover; northern lapwing; linnet; common snipe; pied wagtail; and meadow pipit, during winter when food is in short supply.
However, tillage farmland accounts for only 7% of Irish agricultural land and the effect of this legal requirement will be disproportionate on farmland birds that rely on winter stubble, the organisation added.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and the Department of Housing have proposed to undertake research on the effects of the change after the requirement comes into force.
BirdWatch Ireland said that it fully backs research being undertaken but it should come first, before any changes are made to avoid unintended consequences.
A field and catchment approach should be put in place to address ongoing agricultural pollution with the required advisory supports, the group stated.
Oonagh Duggan, head of advocacy at BirdWatch Ireland, said: “Winter stubbles are a lifeline for hungry birds in the winter.
“Seeds left over after the harvest and invertebrates present in the soil are a hugely important source of winter food for at least 30 bird species, many of which are already Red-listed and already in serious trouble.
“Research shows that farmland birds that have adequate winter stubble foraging habitat are better able to reproduce the following year. Farmland birds are the group of birds in Ireland whose situation is worsening most rapidly and this government is failing them badly.
“Every sector must play its part in cutting chemical and organic fertiliser use, but with livestock farming accounting for most of the pollution of our waterways, the focus should be there, until research has been undertaken to determine the effects of cuts in winter stubble,” she added.
BirdWatch Ireland said it will be informing the European Commission what implications the cuts in winter stubble pose to birds in the wider countryside.