Letter from farmers:

Why Farmers Are Unhappy With The RSPB

Every day farmers like us are criticised by the RSPB. Their bureaucrats bury us in paperwork telling us how to look after birdlife when they often know less than we do about the birds on our farms.

We also know that their own nature reserves are renowned for breeding failures. Elmley in Kent is just one such place, where land tended by a farmer produces many more birds than the neighbouring RSPB reserve.

When criticising farmers, the RSPB shows no interest in us having businesses to run, or that we love the birdlife that surrounds us at least as much as they do.

We witness exploding buzzard populations killing smaller birds on our farms and more ravens threatening endangered upland bird species. Reintroduced sea eagles take lambs and are making farming very difficult in some parts of Western Scotland. Yet the RSPB responds to these problems with denials.

We agree with Sir Ian Botham that this once great national institution has lost touch with the interests of birdlife and has alienated increasing numbers of people in the countryside.

Sincerely,

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