Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the fifth UK Birds of Conservation Concern report published on 1 December 2021.

We are committed to the recovery of species, including wild birds, in England and that is why within the Environment Act 2021 we have a requirement for a new legally binding target halt the decline in species abundance by 2030. Furthermore, we plan to publish a Green Paper soon which will consider further actions that Defra can take to assist nature's recovery.

Our Agri-environment schemes continue to be the principal means of improving habitat provision for farmland birds and the wider environment on farmland in England. We were delighted to see a 40% uplift in Countryside Stewardship applications this year which will help drive immediate action to support birds and other species.

In the longer term we will transition to three new environmental land management schemes which will further this work. In the Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot, participants can select from an initial set of eight standards to build their own agreements. Several of these standards contain actions to support birds. For example, the Arable and Horticultural Land Standard aims to support increased farmland biodiversity, including wild bird and pollinator populations through specific actions that will provide year-round resources for farmland birds and insects.

In addition, the Government continues to support specific conservation action for birds. For example, supporting the establishment of the National Recovery Partnership for curlew in England, which brings together a range of organisations with a desire to protect and conserve this species, and funding a trial translocation and recovery project in the east of England. We have also supported successful reintroductions, including the white-tailed eagle to southern England.