A new study has shown a 25% increase in barn owl numbers on farms growing commercial crops alongside special wildlife habitats.
The Barn Owl Conservation Network says its survey of chicks successfully leaving the nest proves farming can care for nature while producing food.
It covered businesses which had adopted the Conservation Grade standard, which includes requirements to put 10% of a holding’s least productive land into habitat creation, and to introduce measures to increase efficiency on premium growing land. Farms must also be full Assured Food Standards members.
Barn Owls are viewed as an ideal indicator of the health of an ecosystem on a farm, as small mammals and insects are the mainstay of their food chain. Find out more about the study here.
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