England's largest vineyard plagued by pigeons

Pigeons plucked the grapes before they could be harvested at Denbies Wine Estate

England’s largest vineyard has seen its grape harvest drop by 40% due to “thousands” of pigeons feasting on the crops, and bad weather.

Chris White, CEO of Denbies Wine Estate in Dorking, Surrey, says he believes poor conditions have meant the birds were unable to find berries in hedgerows, forcing them to take his grapes instead.

“We work all year on the farm, so it’s heart breaking to see when you go to harvest,” said Mr White, who explained that the strong quality of the grapes was a redeeming factor this year.

He said that about 20% of the crops was eaten by the birds while another 20% was lost to mildew and other natural factors.

“It was quite a surprise because we haven’t had bird problems in 10 years, but we will be ready next year,” said Mr White.

He said the estate had enjoyed a "bumper" crop last year, but was not so lucky this time around.

Grapes at Denbies usually enjoy plenty of sunshine

“In one area of the vineyard, we grow our best variety of still wine," said Mr White.

"One night we went to bed preparing to harvest five tonnes of fruit and the next morning we woke up and half of it was gone.”

The winemaker explained that covering the 265-acre vineyard in netting to stop pigeons getting at the grapes was not an option due to its size.

Instead, Denbies will deter the birds using kites and bangers, or mini-fireworks, which explode every 30 minutes and scare the birds away.

Mr White said poor grape harvests are not just limited to his vineyard.

Marie Davies, from Stopham Vineyard, in Pulborough, West Sussex, said wine makers in her region had also seen a 40-50% reduction in crops.

"It's been a challenge because of the rain, and the birds were a problem this year," she said.

Ms Davies says the vineyard is relying on stocks from last year's harvest, so the true impact of this year's low yield is not yet apparent.

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