DECLINE IN NUMBER OF TURTLE DOVES

That this House is alarmed at the huge reduction in the number of turtle doves, down by 88 per cent. since 1970 and fears that the bird faces extinction in the British Isles; notes that the reduction has been caused by the disappearance of wildflowers brought about by intensive farming; welcomes a research project by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Natural England which involves the sowing of plots of seed-rich corn crops in 16 farms across East Anglia; and calls on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to promote policies to reverse the decline in turtle doves.