Kellogg’s is attempting to increase the population of yellowhammers in the UK.
The cereal giant has kicked off a three-year project in a bid to “bring back” the birds to UK farmlands.
Working with wheat farmers who supply the business with wheat, it plans to create “prime nesting habitats” for the birds with winter bird food mixers across 150 hectares of wheat fields.
It will also be encouraging the farmers to trim their hedges later than usual to avoid disturbing the birds’ late breeding throughout August and September.
The population of the birds has dropped more than 50% since 1970 due to a lack of food sources, according to the Suffolk Wildlife Trust. They require thick hedges for nesting and ready supply of grains and insects.
Kellogg’s is hoping it will see a 20-30% increase in yellowhammers on the farms that are taking part over the course of the trial.
If successful, the project would “result in increased biodiversity on the farms, more sustainable farming practices and consequently improved soil health”, said Kellogg’s.
”The hard reality is that yellowhammer numbers are at crisis point. So, this project is about exploring the practical steps we can achieve together with farmers to encourage this native bird back to our countryside. If successful, we will be able to roll this out across a number of UK farms,” added the brand’s agricultural lead Kate Prince.
The move is part of the cereal giant’s ‘Origins’ programme, through which it is backing sustainable agriculture projects across the UK.
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