Wild Birds Opt for Conventional Food Over Organic, Study Shows A three-year study by Newcastle University has found that wild birds are not swayed by the organic label, but instead prefer the more protein-rich, conventional food that will help them to survive the winter.
Published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, lead researcher Dr Ailsa McKenzie said the findings were likely to be of 'considerable interest to the general public in the debate over the relative merits of consuming organic food.' The birds showed a strong preference for the conventional seed, eating significantly more of this than the organic. When the feeder positions were switched, the birds 'learnt' the new position of the conventional seed and continued to select it in preference to the organic. Analysis of the wheat found the conventionally-grown seeds to have an average 10 per cent higher protein content than the organic seeds. Other differences between the samples (e.g. in mycotoxin levels, grain size, energy content or pesticide residues) could not explain the preferences shown by the birds. The garden bird work was confirmed by laboratory studies on canaries, also showing a significant preference for conventionally- over organically-grown seeds. Dr McKenzie explained: 'Conventionally-grown crops tend to contain significantly higher levels of protein than those grown organically due to the application of inorganic nitrogen fertilisers in conventional farming systems'. http://www.ncl.ac.uk/press.office/press.release/item/garden-birds-shun-organic#.UajiuD5I68o
