AQW 17659/17-22

Mr John Blair
Alliance Party
South Antrim

Tabled Date: 20/04/2021
Answered On Date: 04/05/2021
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs what action his Department is taking to halt the decline of (i) yellowhammers; and (ii) other priority farmland birds.

Answer:

The Wildlife and Natural Environment Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 (the WANE Act) which places a statutory duty on my Department to maintain lists of priority species requiring conservation action, including priority farmland birds.

DAERA supports monitoring and research on farmland bird species, particularly through work by the British Trust for Ornithology, and the RSPB. This work is used to inform which species are considered priority bird species in Northern Ireland, and provides evidence on the effectiveness of conservation measures being implemented.

My Department also undertakes a range of actions which directly benefit declining farmland birds, of which agri-environment schemes, such as the Environmental Farming Scheme, are the most important. The Wider Scheme EFS(W) has a range of options designed to benefit Yellowhammer and other seed-eating birds. The Higher Scheme EFS(H) has options to manage habitats, such as upland heathland and blanket bog, which are important for upland birds, including breeding waders and threatened birds of prey. My Department has recently commissioned a large project to monitor the impact of EFS on farmland birds.

In addition, DAERA has supported a number of conservation organisations to help priority farmland birds through raising awareness and through species-specific conservation measures.