Vine House Farm warns ban could harm breeding success of songbirds
A LEADING bird food supplier has spoken out against new guidance from the RSPB advising the public not to feed garden birds with seed and peanuts between May and October.
Lucy Taylor, a recognised authority on garden bird feeding from Vine House Farm Bird Foods, said the organisation had been consulted ahead of the announcement and was disappointed its alternative recommendations were not adopted.
Mrs Taylor said: “I’ve been in a unique position to carefully consider the validity of the RSPB’s new policy on garden bird feeding, because the RSPB consulted with Vine House Farm Bird Foods ahead of their announcement and we provided the RSPB with a solid case saying why this would be the wrong thing to do.”
The consultation followed joint work between the RSPB and the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) reviewing the role of supplementary feeding in the spread of disease, particularly among finch species.
While acknowledging the scientific review was “reasonably comprehensive and robust”, Mrs Taylor said Vine House Farm believed the proposed solution could have unintended consequences.
She warned that decades of research at the company’s Lincolnshire farm showed supplementary feeding during May and June plays a “huge benefit” in supporting breeding populations of some songbird species.
“The drastic reduction in natural insect food which we’ve progressively seen over the last 50 years means there is a real ‘food gap’ during the breeding season,” she said.
Mrs Taylor also pointed to the decline of natural seed sources due to the loss of wildflower meadows and the impacts of intensive farming.
“By also removing food provided in gardens, it is very likely to reduce the levels of breeding success in some songbird species,” she added.
On the issue of disease, Mrs Taylor argued that feeding itself was not the sole problem, but rather the way it is done.
She said: “We’ve long advocated very strict hygiene and other measures such as frequently moving feeders around, all of which help reduce the problem.”
Mrs Taylor also suggested that if only some households follow the RSPB advice, birds will gather in greater numbers at the remaining feeding sites — potentially increasing the risk of disease transmission at a local level.
She added that many people continue to feed garden birds during spring and summer because of the mental health benefits it brings.
Vine House Farm said it had put forward an alternative proposal, urging the RSPB to promote “best practice” feeding instead of asking people to stop altogether.
The suggested approach included encouraging strict feeder hygiene, reducing seed at key times of year, working with the bird food industry to introduce consistent standards, and creating an accreditation scheme for suppliers and retailers promoting best practice.
In response to the RSPB decision, Mrs Taylor said the company would now “redouble efforts” to encourage responsible feeding, including publishing guidance for spring and summer feeding which recommends reducing seed and offering live foods such as mealworms.
Despite the disagreement, she said Vine House Farm would continue to support the RSPB’s wider aims and remain open to future collaboration.
The full statement from Vine House Farm Bird Foods can be read online.
