Eloise Gibson writes in the New Zealand Herald about research which showed that, given the choice, birds preferred ‘conventional’ over organically grown seeds.
The research suggested it could be due to the higher protein levels of the non-organic seeds, but also made it clear that other impacts, such as environmental impact of farming chemicals, had not been considered.
An excerpt: (read in full here)
“The authors said the findings suggested the “dogma” that the animal kingdom preferred eating organic food might not always be true, but stressed the study did not take into account factors such as the long-term health effects of pesticides or the environmental effects of conventional farming.
“The Otago University report found organic farms here and abroad were often better for birds and earthworms, could produce less nitrogen run-off, and had the potential to soak up harmful greenhouse gases.”