The Netherlands must better protect the black-tailed godwit, European Commission says

The European Commission decided that the Netherlands must better protect its black-tailed godwits. According to the European Commission, subsidies and other regulations to protect meadow birds, such as the black-tailed godwit, have not helped. Therefore, the Netherlands must take other "effective measures" to turn the tide. The Commission wants to see a better plan within two months.

One measure that could help is managing the breeding grounds of the black-tailed godwit. The Commission believes this could also benefit other farmland and meadow bird species, such as the lapwing and the oystercatcher, whose populations are also declining.

The Commission says the number of field and meadow birds in the Netherlands has been steadily declining for decades. This is mainly due to the loss of habitat for the birds and disturbances during the breeding season.

If the Netherlands does not come up with better proposals within two months, the Commission will do so itself.

The Bird Protection Society is pleased that Brussels is now urging the Netherlands to take better care of meadow birds. According to director Karsten Schipperheijn, farmers need help to do this. "There are already many farmers who work for meadow birds every day, but the government needs to offer more to support them properly and to further expand the number of meadow bird-friendly farmers," he says. According to him, farmers need to be helped to purchase more land so that birds have more space. "A larger piece of land to graze, and with enough space for meadow birds to breed."