M&S is reaffirming its commitment to British farming with the launch of a new ‘Fresh Market Update’ campaign. Leading sourcing standards means ensuring the land in the care of M&S Select Farmers is preserved and protected for future generations. To support this aim, M&S has started a new five year ‘Farming with Nature’1 collaborative programme to support its Select Farmers to become more resilient to the biggest environmental challenges they face – spanning climate change, biodiversity, soil health and water usage. As part of this, M&S is introducing 30 million bees to 28 UK Select Farm Sites this summer.
Bees contribute to a third of the food we eat, but the habitats they depend on like wildflower meadows are dwindling. Through M&S Select Farmers promoting more natural habitat on farms and introducing more bees, M&S is helping to protect the future of these critically important pollinators and will improve the quality of its fresh produce.
David Wainwright has been producing top-quality honey for M&S for more than 10 years and this summer he’ll be harvesting a unique crop for M&S, “Having worked with M&S for many years I’m really pleased they’ve taken the initiative to begin this pioneering campaign, which will have such a positive impact on the environment. Each Select Farm we’re working with is unique and its produce will benefit the bees, which in turn will ensure the farmers get greater yields on their crops and produce better-quality food for customers due to the thorough pollination the bees provide.”
From April, M&S will also be expanding its RSPCA Assured range to offer more RSPCA Assured products including all fresh eggs, pork, farmed salmon and farmed trout, Oakham Gold chicken and milk.
Stuart Machin, Managing Director of M&S Food said: “We only work with farmers and growers that we know and trust to source our products with the upmost care. I’m incredibly proud that we’ve raised the bar yet again for 2021, with an industry-leading bee programme, boosting biodiversity on our Select Farms and the introduction of the biggest range of RSPCA Assured products on the market.”
Each week M&S will introduce viewers to a different farmer, from Chris Chinn growing the finest single origin seasonal asparagus to the award winning Davidstow creamery.
