RECENT headlines have highlighted the plight of the barn owl.

This comes as no surprise given the terrible weather in 2013 that, according to the Barn Owl Trust, killed ‘most barn owls’ thanks to three months of unrelenting cold and wet. Those birds that did survive were unable to breed.

What is surprising is the assertion that the current situation is the culmination of a lengthy decline resulting from agricultural practices and use of products such as rodenticides.

A huge amount of work has been put over the past 15 years or so to halt and even reverse a decline in numbers seen in the post-war years.

The work of hundreds of dedicated conservation enthusiasts, provision of 25,000 special nest boxes and concerted action by farmers and wider industry has contributed to a gradual increase in the number of breeding pairs to around 9,000 from 4,000 in 1997.

Playing its part, the farming industry has embraced environmental management, with agri-environment schemes covering 70 per cent of agricultural land and a further 677,000 hectares of land managed with the environment in mind through the voluntary Campaign for the Farmed Environment.

In addition, initiatives such as the Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use have sought to prevent accidental wildlife exposure.

Efforts to boost barn owl numbers have been widely supported by the farming industry. Rather than playing the ‘blame game’, let’s look to redouble the efforts to ensure a bright future for a key farmland bird species.

Richard Pearson, Regional Director, NFU North East, Tadcaster Road, York.